Three Miracles
by Crimson Love20
Summary: Rose goes after Dimitri in the hopes she'll have the strength to kill him. But what will become of their plan when something unexpected happens? Set right after Shadow Kiss. Reviews are much appreciated!
1. Finding Dimitri

**Okay. This is Vampire Academy stuff. I've rearranged some things. Please, bear with me. Because I'm such a sucker for love, I cried at the end of Shadow Kiss. I was so mad. So instead of Rose waiting for forever to go after Dimitri, she leaves the day after he was attacked by the Strigoi. For now, that's the only thing I've changed. Have fun reading, because I had fun typing!!**

**Disclaimer: The three little miracles are mine. The two adults are not.**

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I walked down the road, stake in hand. Could I really kill Dimitri? I mean, he was my true love, my one and only. He had told me that he wanted to be killed if he was ever turned into a Strigoi. But I wasn't sure if his decisions were still the same. He was Strigoi now. He wouldn't want to die. He wouldn't remember anything.

I came upon the cave where the final few Strigoi were waiting in the darkness for night to fall so that they could escape. I walked into the cave, my heart pounding erratically. I swallowed, tightening my grip on the stake. My knuckles were nearly white.

There was a blur, and Dimitri was standing in front of me, his eyes glowing crimson. He bared his teeth at me, fangs visible, as he lowered into a crouch. "Dimitri, wait," I gasped, holding a hand up, praying to whatever God there was that he would stop and hear me out.

He continued to lower, looking like he was going to pounce. "Dimitri, please. It's Rose. _Rose_. You know me, remember?"

His eyes widened, and he slowly straightened. "Rose?" he whispered. I nodded slowly. "What are you doing here?" he hissed worriedly, glancing over his shoulder.

"I came to . . . fulfill my end of the bargain." I showed him a glimpse of the stake, frowning, tears in my eyes.

"Oh." He sighed. "Well, I won't stop you. You need to uphold your end of the bargain."

Suddenly, three more Strigoi surrounded us. This must have been what Dimitri was worried about. "Oh, lovely little dhampir," one hissed, circling around me.

"Yesss . . . Where can we get one?" another chuckled.

"Not here," Dimitri growled. "She and I have business to attend to. Leave us."

"Hm. What kind of business, Dimitri?" murmured the final one. He was the one that had turned Dimitri into a Strigoi.

Dimitri growled. "None of your business, Tony," he snapped. "Now why don't you, Russell, and Caleb go back to the hole you crawled from?"

The one Dimitri had called Tony appraised him carefully before shrugging and slinking backwards, hissing a little. The two others backed away as well.

I looked up at Dimitri's familiar face. The only difference being his once brown eyes were now crimson.

"I missed you," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist desperately. It didn't matter to me if he crushed me or not. I needed to know that he was alive in some way. True, his heart had stopped beating, but he was still standing in front of me, flesh and bone.

"Oh, Roza, I missed you," he murmured, hugging me lightly. I reached up and kissed him. His hands cupped my face gently, his cool thumb tracing my cheek gently. "I love you," came his soft voice in my ear.

Tears began to form in my eyes, and it did not escape his notice. "Why are you crying?" he whispered worriedly.

"I can't live without you," I mumbled. "I can't do it."

"You'll be fine," he replied. "You have to make sure that I don't hurt anyone. I couldn't live with myself, knowing I'd killed a person."

My eyes strayed to the floor in embarrassment, knowing what I had to say, but not wanting to say it while there was a possibility that the other Strigoi were listening.

"You'll need to do it soon, Roza," Dimitri said. That made up my mind. Embarrassed or not, he had a right to know.

"Dimitri, you know - there is the, uh, _slight_ possibility that I could be carrying your child," I whispered, my eyes glued to the floor. It was silent for a moment before he burst into laughter. "It's not funny!" I snapped. "I'm serious."

His face grew grave. "I'm dead, Rose. There's no possible way . . . that . . ." He trailed off, presumably remembering. He had been a dhampir that night. This wasn't so crazy after all.

"Will you at least wait? To see with me? Please?"

Dimitri swallowed, raking a hand through his hair. "I'll do my best, Roza. But I'm not even sure if Tony will let me leave."

"Well, try," I encouraged. "I have to say goodbye to Lissa anyway. I'll see you tonight." I kissed his cheek and darted out of the cave without letting him try to talk his way out of this.

I might have gotten him to stay with me after all.

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**Bum bum BUM... lol. So what happens? I feel like an evil scientist or something. What did you guys think? Good, bad, angsty, sad? (Hey, that rhymed. Weird.)**

**PM me. Ask questions. Review. Etc.**

**XOXO  
**


	2. The Last Visit

**All right. Next chapter, YAY!! I'm so excited. Two reviews a chapter is good for me. Which is kind of sad, but I cherish every review I get. :D**

**Disclaimer: Rose and Dimitri don't belong to me. I wish they did, though.**

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Sneaking into the Academy was easier than I anticipated. I just had to sneak past the guardian at the gate. He was oblivious to anything around him. I wondered if Lissa had anything to do with it.

I went to her dorm, hoping that she would be there and not out with Christian. Of course, the possibility of that was slim to none. Lissa was always with Christian. But as it turned out, luck was with me. Lissa was in her dorm room.

I knocked on the door, hoping that she would forgive me. But I had to help Dimitri in any way I could. Lissa would be fine without me as long as she had Christian.

Lissa opened the door. Shock filled me. "Rose?" she whispered. "I thought you were gone."

"Well, I still am, technically. But I just couldn't leave you without saying goodbye, could I?"

Tears filled her eyes. "Do you really have to leave?"

I frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'm sorry. I'll try to be back in a year or so. I'm really gonna miss you, Liss."

"Can you at least stay the rest of the day?" she asked, hope filling her.

I sighed. I shouldn't. I should pack Dimitri's things and go back to him as quickly as possible. But I couldn't deny my best friend one last day to spend together. "Yeah. I can."

She smiled sadly. "Well, come in. Christian isn't coming over today."

"That's a first," I chuckled.

She giggled. "Well, yeah. He and Eddie are doing something. No clue what, but at least we get to be alone."

I nodded. "That's good."

We went into her room and talked for a few hours. She would miss me, but she understood that I needed to go after Dimitri. I still hadn't told her that Dimitri was a Strigoi. I still wasn't sure what she would think if I told her. Knowing Lissa, she'd want him tracked down and killed. But Dimitri was essentially the same, just stronger, faster, and with red eyes. I was sure that he was the same as he had always been.

All too soon, the sun set. I sighed, looking at the clock. "Liss, I need to get going."

She sighed, throwing her arms around me. "I don't want you to leave."

I hugged her back. "I know, but I'll be back. I promise."

My best friend sighed, letting me go. "If you need to come back, feel free. I'll miss you, Rose."

"I'll miss you, too, Lissa. I'll be back, I swear." We hugged once more, then I left. As I sneaked into Dimitri's old room, Lissa was devastated. She felt betrayed. I couldn't do anything more. I'd spent the day with her. What more could I do? I had to go back to Dimitri. This might all be nothing, anyway. If the leader of the Strigoi group - Tony - wouldn't let Dimitri leave, then this was all for naught anyway.

I couldn't take Dimitri if he wasn't allowed to leave. Nonetheless, I packed a bag for him, stopping to grab a few of his dumb Western novels. If he was allowed to leave, then I had to be prepared.

Bag slung over my shoulder, I sneaked out of the Academy for the final time, hopefully. I walked back to the cave, wondering if Dimitri would be permitted to come with me.

Dimitri was waiting outside the cave, a grimace on his face. When I reached him, he lifted me, pressing his lips to mine fiercely. After a moment, he let me go. Wordlessly, I handed him the backpack.

He smirked a little, but his eyes were still filled with horror. "You're so thoughtful," he said sarcastically.

I smiled. "Thanks. So will he let you leave?"

Dimitri's smirk faded. He closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing. When he opened them, he looked extremely guilty. The sentence he uttered chilled my heart.

"Only if I kill you."

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**Bum, bum, BUM. Cliffy, I know. But I'll try to update ASAP.**

**PM me. Ask questions. Review. Etc.**

**XOXO  
**


	3. Choices

**It's been a while. But I'm on my stepmom's new computer (which is the coolest thing EVER!!!) so I am quite happy. XD**

**Disclaimer: Dimitri Belikov? He's not mine. (Damn.) Rose Hathaway? Not mine, either. (UGH.) Uhm... Tony? Yes, he's mine. But I'm not happy about it.**

**P.S. In this story, Strigoi can control whether someone turns Strigoi or not. It all has to do with venom, and they can control that venom. Sooo, yeah. It plays an important role in the story.  
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_Previously..._  
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_Dimitri's smirk faded. He closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing. When he opened them, he looked extremely guilty. The sentence he uttered chilled my heart._

_"Only if I kill you."_

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I blinked. "What?"

He sighed, looking at the ground. "That's the only way I can leave."

Now, I loved Dimitri. I loved him with my heart, soul, and body. But I'm sorry, I would not die at the hands of the man I loved. It was cliched, and I just wasn't going to do it.

I began to back away, my eyes widening. With his being a Strigoi, I wasn't sure if he was considering that option, or if he still had the sanity to stay and let me live. Dimitri's eyes flickered to mine and widened when he realized what I was doing.

"No, I'm not - I mean, I'd never -" He sighed, swallowing, raking a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Rose. I wish I could go with you, I really do."

"I wish you could, too. Is there not a way to trick them or something?"

He shook his head. "Not without me drinking from you, there isn't. Running wouldn't do any good. They'd eventually catch us."

"Is there a possibility that you could just . . . stop?"

Incredulous red eyes met mine. "Stop drinking from you? Just stop?" His voice was tinged with disbelief.

"Well . . . yeah." The more I said it out loud, the dumber it sounded. I mean, come on, Strigoi just didn't _stop_ drinking blood because they felt like it. They were monsters most of the time, and to ask something that challenging of Dimitri right after he'd been changed was crazy. I had complete faith in him, but it was easy to tell that even he thought the idea was impossible.

"Roza, think about it. The odds of that happening are slim to none. I just can't . . . stop because I want to."

"Has it ever been done before?" I countered. This had to work. This was our only shot. I could play dead, and hopefully Tony and his friends would be too distracted by my flowing blood to realize that my heart was still beating.

"No," he admitted. "But I don't like it. You could become Strigoi as well, and then, if you _are _carrying a child, what would it become? Strigoi? Human? We don't know, Rose, and I can't take chances with you." He cupped my face in his icy hands. "You are too important to risk on a chance."

"I'll be fine, Dimitri," I insisted. "It would be better if I had you with me than going solo. And if I turn Strigoi, then I get to be with you forever."

"Roza, I -"

"Shhh," I whispered, touching his jaw softly, not afraid of him in the least. "This will work. I know it will. But I have to get you away from here."

Dimitri glanced back at the cave dismally. "If I hurt you, I'll never be able to live with myself," he mumbled.

"You won't hurt me."

He brushed my hair from my neck. "I love you," he whispered into the skin of my throat.

"I love you, too, Dimitri."

Hesitating, he asked, "Are you sure?"

Dimitri was stalling, and he knew it. "I am positive. I believe in you."

He inhaled slowly, and then there was a pricking sensation. I could hear his throat swallowing, and he moaned softly. I tried to stay calm, hoping that would help in some way. After a second or two, the world started to spin.

"Dimitri," I whispered. He didn't move an inch. Spots were appearing in front of my eyes, and in the back of my mind, I wondered how long I had to live. Even as I knew I was dying, I couldn't blame Dimitri. I had forced him to try this. "Dimitri, stop," I gasped. My ears were ringing, and I felt cold. "Please," I whispered.

A soft growl slid between his lips. When I heard that sound, I knew I was done for. He was no longer dhampir. He was a Strigoi, and right then, the only thing that mattered was my pulsing artery. He was focused on the thing that was giving me life. And he needed it to live, too.

But there was one thing he needed to hear. He didn't necessarily have to live with himself if I died. He could walk into the sunlight tomorrow morning and be gone. He'd be ashes. But a few hours can seem like an eternity when you've lost someone you love dearly. I know. I've been there. He could not live without knowing this - however long he chose to live. Whether that was seven hours or eternity.

"I love you," I managed to whisper before the darkness surrounding me pulled me under.

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**CLIFFY!! Again. LOL. **

**Tell me how I did and what you think happened. PLEASE. I thrive on reviews. They are my oxygen.**

**PM me. Ask questions. Review. Etc. You guys know the drill.**

**XOXO**

**-Jessica  
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	4. Promises

**Here we are!! Chapter 4! Yay! :D**

**Disclaimer: Rose and Dimitri are not mine... Curse me for not thinking of them before Richelle Mead.**

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**_Previously..._**

_"I love you," I managed to whisper before the darkness surrounding me pulled me under._

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My mind was foggy, and I felt dizzy. I groaned. I had a pounding headache.

"Roza?" whispered a familiar voice.

I forced myself to open my eyes. Dimitri had me in his arms. He was looking me over carefully. When my eyes met his, he sighed. "Oh, Roza. Are you all right?"

I moaned, clutching my head. This headache was going to kill me. "What happened?" I muttered.

"I realized what was happening when you fainted. It took me a moment, but I managed to stop. Your assumption was correct. Tony and Russell were too enamored with your flowing blood to realize you still had a heartbeat. They let me leave."

I paused and heard my own heartbeat. I relaxed. I was still relatively human, and we had escaped. . . Damn, I was smart.

Dimitri smiled at me worriedly. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I stretched and stood up.

Dimitri was silent. He stared into the forest blankly, and I knew something was on his mind. But I wasn't sure if he would feel comfortable telling me. God only knew what he was feeling, what thoughts now ran through his mind.

I walked up behind him and lightly brushed his arm. "You want to talk about it?" I asked.

He sighed deeply. "I thought -" He swallowed thickly. "I thought I was going to kill you. I couldn't think about anything other than your blood. If you hadn't fainted when you did, I would have - God, I would've killed you."

"But you didn't. And I'm fine. Really, Dimitri, you did fantastic," I encouraged.

He sighed. "As you think, Rose."

I sighed with him. He did an amazing job, especially for his first time. Besides, this was the first time anyone had ever remotely even thought about trying anything like this. It wasn't like this was trying to ride a bike - a billion other people have already done this. This was like Neil Armstrong trying to walk on the moon. Nobody had ever thought it possible.

I took his hand, squeezing gently. "Please don't beat yourself up. That was really good. And you'll get better as time goes on."

He let out a deep breath. "What, you think we'll be doing that again, with how close I came to kill - hurting you?"

"We'll have to, Dimitri. You have to feed, and I won't let you kill anyone."

"But -"

"No buts," I said firmly. I wasn't going to allow him to kill people, then run back to me. "I'm still a guardian... Well, almost. My point is that I'm not comfortable with you killing people. Ever."

He wrapped me in a tight hug. "I love you. I'm sorry I even thought about taking innocent lives. But you're all I have."

I smiled. "You think I'd let you kill me that easily?" I chuckled. He'd have to put up one hell of a fight. "Oh, and I love you, too."

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**That was mostly a filler, but YAY! Rose isn't dead!! **

**The good guys: 1**

**The bad guys: 0**

**Lol. Please review? I don't want to beg, but PLEASEEE?**

**Later.**

**-J  
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	5. Z

**There was a review that made me smile. The baby is coming into play. Just give me time to get him/her there. I promise, I'd never forget that. It is, after all, the crucial part of this story. :D**

**Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope it was a good one. Review, and I'll be EXTRA thankful for them.**

**Disclaimer: The baby belongs to me. Rose and Dimitri? Not so much.**

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It wasn't long before the answer to our question became glaringly obvious. I was pregnant with Dimitri's child. I nearly squealed when I figured it out, but before long, I sobered up. Dimitri had only agreed to stick around until he knew. Now that we knew, would he leave?

"Rose, you know now. I know now. And you know what you have to do," he said solemnly.

"No. The baby needs a father, Dimitri. You and I know that more than anyone." Dimitri cringed at the mention of his abusive father. I didn't even know who my father was. I couldn't do that to this baby.

"The baby does not need a monster for a father, Roza. You realize that, don't you?" His eyes were wide, pleading. I had learned to expect the red ones rather than his previous brown ones.

"You're not a monster, Dimitri. You are completely lucid. You don't try to kill people. Stop thinking that about yourself."

"Our child does not need to wonder why you disappear every few days." I loved the way he said 'our child'. Whether he knew it came out of his mouth or not, it did, and that made me extremely happy.

"And our child needs to have his or her father around," I argued.

Dimitri sighed, cracking his knuckles. It was a nervous habit of his. I waited for his explanation since I knew there was one coming. After one more sigh, he finally whispered, "I don't want it to know me, Rose."

Besides the fact that he wanted to leave me and his child, he just called our baby an 'it'. Oh, he was in deep trouble.

_"What_ did you just call our baby?" I growled, taking a step toward him.

"Rose, you know I didn't mean it like that. It's just easier to say 'it' than 'he or she' or 'his or her' all the time."

I sighed. "Just call him or her Z, okay?" That way, we knew we were talking about the baby without confusing pronouns.

Dimitri smiled. "Z doesn't need to know me, Rose. I'm a monster, a killer. I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt our baby." His fingers tenderly grazed my stomach.

"You wouldn't," I whispered, grabbing his hand. "You wouldn't, Dimitri. I know you."

"I could, Rose, and that's what kills me," he breathed, anguished. "I don't want to. But I might. And I cannot put you and the baby at risk like that."

"Please stay," I whispered. He couldn't leave us. Not like this. He had to stay. He had to. For me. For the baby. For the family we had accidentally created.

"I can't," he whimpered, burying his face in his hands. "I don't want to, but I have to keep you and Z safe."

"Stay," I whispered. "For me. For the baby. Please, Dimitri, I'm begging you."

He sighed. "I can't refuse you. But one mistake, and I'm gone. Hurting either of you is unacceptable. I love you and the baby so much," he whispered, wrapping me in a comforting hug.

"I love you, too," I replied. Hopefully, he'd stick around for a long time. He was all I had in this world besides the backpack I had packed. True, I could always go back to the Academy, but really, that wasn't very smart at all.

Dimitri would be hunted and staked if I went back. That option was definitely out. Even if he left, there was always the chance that he could come back to us. If he was staked, that was impossible.

I just needed some time to convince Dimitri to stay for a long, long time. But I wondered if I would have enough time with him to convince him of that fact.

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**What did you think? I know, again, it was a filler, sorta. But one thing about this story - it's major fluff. I can't do anything bad to Rose and Dimitri. So if you're expecting some random person to kill Rose and the baby survives or something, it's not happening.**

**Review, and I'll be extra thankful since it's Thanksgiving.**

**- J.C.  
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	6. The Surprise

**Hey, guys. What's going on? Hope everyone had a great week. Back to the story.**

**Disclaimer: Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov? Damn, I wish I'd thought of them.**

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**One month later...**

"Dimitri, where are you taking me?" I grumbled. He was currently leading me through a forest, insisting that I keep my eyes closed. We had traveled across the state, staying in motels for a few nights before moving. Though we didn't have a million dollar home, I was content to have his company. It didn't matter to me. I still hadn't told him that Adrian was feeding us tons of money.

I felt a little guilty for telling him that I was coming back, but I'd found a solution to our problem. It would have been impossible for me to try to love Adrian anyway. My heart belonged to Dimitri.

We had taken advantage of the fact that Dimitri was no longer my teacher a few times. We were still becoming accustomed to holding hands and kissing in public, though it was the most natural thing.

"Keep your eyes closed." His voice was full of excitement, so I kept my eyes shut. Whatever this was had him exceptionally eager, and I didn't want to ruin that for him. He was rarely like this anymore, not that he ever was one for keeping his emotions on his sleeve.

"Okay, okay," I sighed, walking forward, letting him lead me. I kept my focus on the feeling of his cool hand in mine. He still rarely called Z 'our baby'. I think he was afraid to accept the fact that he was going to be a father even though he was twenty-five. I did everything I knew to make him more open to the idea of being a father, but he would hastily change the subject every time.

He had been doing well when he fed from me. I hadn't fainted since that night; he'd been extremely careful when feeding from me.

"Open your eyes," he whispered. My eyes snapped open. We were in the middle of a forest. What the hell?

"Dimitri, what -"

He held up a finger, effectively silencing me. "Trust me, Roza." I nodded. "Stay here."

"But -" I tried to protest, but he leaned in, pressing his lips to mine lightly. He pulled away a moment later.

"Please trust me," he murmured. I opened my mouth to object, thought a moment, then shut it. I nodded once more. He brushed his cool fingers against my cheek gently, then whispered, "Stay right here. Wait for me to come back."

"Okay," I replied softly. I sat down on a tree stump, looking up at him. He smiled down at me, then began walking away. For a split second, panic overtook me. What if he was leaving me? What if this was all a plot? I wouldn't know if this was really a surprise or not. I calmed myself. He wouldn't leave me like this. I knew Dimitri.

I waited for a few minutes. He didn't return. I began to fidget. Maybe he had left me, and I had talked myself out of going after him? A full ten minutes passed before I began to get really nervous. I stood up and started to pace worriedly, clasping and unclasping my hands.

Another five minutes later, I heard a twig break. My head snapped up, my eyes flickering over the scene in front of me. I automatically tensed, years of training ingrained into my system.

"Rose, it's just me," Dimitri sighed. I relaxed, smiling.

"I was worried," I admitted in a small voice. "I didn't think you were coming back."

He took my hand, squeezing gently. "I would never leave without telling you. Now come with me. I want to show you something." He led me a few more feet forward, then leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Go forward."

"But what if I miss it?" I asked. He just chuckled.

"Roza, I promise. You won't miss it."

I trusted him. "Whatever you say, Dimitri." I started to walk. I glanced back, and he motioned me forward. After a few moments of walking, I felt inexplicably nervous and afraid for some strange reason.

After five more minutes of walking in the direction Dimitri had pointed me, the feelings got more powerful, and my eyes widened. I'd felt like this before when . . . There was no way. . .

Then I saw her. Lissa was standing in the middle of the forest.

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**Yay! Lissa's back!!! :D**

**Question of the day: What's the biggest surprise you ever got?**

**Review, please. Next chapter will be up soon. I swear.**

**- J.C.  
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	7. The Speech

**Had time to type and wanted to let Rose and Liss have their conversation. :D**

**Disclaimer: Vampire Academy is the property of Richelle Mead... In other words, not mine.**

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"Rose?" Lissa whispered, elation filling her.

"Lissa," I squealed happily, running to hug her.

"Oh my God, I'm so happy to see you!" She hugged me tightly, squealing a little. This had to have been Dimitri's surprise. He was so amazing. He took me back to the Academy to let me see my best friend one more time before we had to leave for a while. "You're back! Are you staying?"

I took a deep breath, knowing fully well that I was about to crush her. "No, Liss, I can't stay."

"But you said you were leaving for a year or so. And why did you even leave in the first place?"

"I had to find Dimitri," I told her.

"Well, did you?" she demanded, idly playing with a piece of her hair.

What did I say to that? Yes, but he's a Strigoi? I don't think that would go over too well. I shrugged instead.

"Well, why a year?"

I felt a goofy grin take over my face. I was going to be the mother of Dimitri's child - _Dimitri's child_. My child. Dimitri's child. Our child. It was all so surreal.

"What?" Lissa asked impatiently.

"I'm gonna have a baby," I whispered, still grinning stupidly. I couldn't seem to shake the smile.

Lissa's eyes widened severely. "What?"

I nodded. "It's Dimitri's."

All right. Now she looked like she was going to gag or something. "What? I mean, I didn't think that you . . . and him . . . but . . ." she stammered.

I reached out and squeezed my best friend's hand. "It's okay, Liss. Yeah, we did. The night when Jesse and Ralf were throwing things at you. We didn't mean to, but oh God, Liss, and it just -"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. So you're having Dimitri's child?" I nodded. "Well, did he know?"

"He does know." I couldn't help the words. Her eyes widened.

"You found him?"

"Uh-huh." In fact, he was only a few hundred feet away from us.

"Well, is he...?"

I knew what she was asking. I hated admitting to my best friend that the love of my life was a Strigoi. "Lissa, please don't tell Christian. Nobody can know."

She gasped, and rage flowed through her. "You can't be serious, Rose!" she hissed. "He's a _Strigoi_. He's not safe; you know that."

"I know. But he's lucid. He knows me. He hasn't hurt me." I deliberately left out the first time he fed from me. That didn't really count anyway. It was the first time anything like that had ever been attempted.

"So what does he do? Does he run off and kill people to feed?" she asked bitterly, scowling at me.

"Come on, Lissa, don't you know me? I wouldn't let him hurt people like that."

"So then what do you do?" she asked, crossing her arms.

I shifted. "Remember when we were on our own?" This was the only way that I could make it seem okay to her.

"Of course." Realization dawned on her features and flowed through her body. "That's not the same!" she insisted hotly.

"Yes, it is," I retorted. "He has to feed, and he doesn't hurt anyone."

"He's a Strigoi, Rose. He can't be trusted."

"I trust him. Lissa, think about it. How would you feel if everyone forbid you from seeing Christian because he's dangerous? It's the same thing with me and Dimitri."

She hated the idea of not being able to be with Christian, but she was still skeptical about Dimitri's control. "Whatever, Rose."

I smirked as I felt the curiosity coming from her. "You want to know if I'm telling the truth, don't you?"

"No," she snapped. But our bond gave her away.

"Liss, I can feel your emotions. I know you're lying to me."

She glared at me. "Shut up, Rose. I have to go back. But thanks for telling him to bring you here." She hugged me quickly and started to head back toward the Academy.

I chuckled. "Liss, he _brought _me here. I didn't tell him to do anything. He knew I missed you. Don't thank me, thank him." I felt shock come from her and smiled wryly. "I told you he's the same."

She stared at me with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. I'll see you in a few months, Lissa."

"Bye, Rose," she whispered. I turned around, walking the direction I had come from. I hated arguing with my best friend, but I couldn't stand losing Dimitri.

Dimitri was waiting for me where I'd left. He had a worried expression in his eyes, but his stance was casual. "Did you have fun with Lissa?" he asked, his eyes flickering over my face.

"Yeah, I did. That was the best surprise ever. Thank you so much, Dimitri. I love you."

He smiled, hugging me gently. "I love you, too, Roza. I heard what you said to Lissa . . . about trusting me. Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did," I whispered. "I do trust you, Dimitri. I promise."

His eyes lit up. "Thank you for trusting me when I didn't trust myself."

"You're welcome."

He took my hand and kissed it lightly. "You're my life, Rose. I don't know what I would do without you." I was silent as I took that information in. He couldn't really mean that. He could do anything he wanted. He didn't need me around.

But I needed him around. I needed him to help me raise this baby. And as long as he stayed, I would cherish every moment I got with him.

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**Yay, fluff!! Fluff is so . . . fluffy. Lol.**

**Review, pwease? Pwetty pwease?**

**- J.C.  
**


	8. A Name For Z

**Yay, updates!! :D One thing before I start - Please, please, PLEASE review? I'm getting chapters out as fast as I can. And it takes about half an hour to type everything out. Reviewing takes like, half a minute. I don't care if it's a flame or not... Just please, tell me SOMETHING. Okay?**

**Disclaimer: We're getting closer to the people that are mine... Even though Rose and Dimitri still aren't... Sigh.**

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The next few months were filled with happiness, mood swings, and carelessness. Dimitri and I walked the streets of small towns, hand in hand, during the nighttime and slept through the days. We changed towns every other night, traveling mostly through the forest. We never went out of state, though.

Dimitri still never really talked about the baby, even though I knew he was happy about it. I would catch him glancing at my stomach every now and then, a look of wonder in his eyes. But every time I brought it up, he'd change the subject.

We were sitting in a motel room as of now. And thanks to Adrian, we had the money to stay in a motel every night. It was average - stiff beds and strange patterns. There was a small TV. But for tonight, it was our home, and we always made the best of it.

Dimitri had loosened up a little bit tonight and was allowing me to lay my head on his chest. I figured that he still thought of himself as my teacher, and he was telling himself that at any moment we'd get caught. True, he was still much older than me, but now he was frozen at twenty-five. He'd given me time to catch up.

I felt his cool fingers brush my stomach lightly. This was the first time he'd ever touched my stomach, and I loved the complete feeling that came with the simple gesture. I held his hand there, smiling against his chest.

And I finally got the courage to ask what I'd been wondering for a long time. "Are you happy?" I whispered, not entirely sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

I felt the atmosphere shift slightly. It went from calm to worried. "Of course," he replied quietly, applying a little more pressure to my stomach.

"Well, you never want to talk about it." I kept my eyes on the bedspread, refusing to look at him and be upset.

"I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I'm extremely happy, Roza, you have no idea." With his free hand, he traced my cheek. "It just doesn't seem real yet, you know? You can feel Z move. All I see is -"

"How fat I am," I finished bitterly. Damn these mood swings! I wanted to kill myself because of them sometimes.

"No, Rose. You're beautiful, and you know it. All I see is your stomach. That's the only physical proof I have." I sat up, looking at him. He was watching me, his eyes serious.

"So you're happy?" I asked in a small voice, wanting to be certain.

His smile was blinding. "Yes. Very happy," he murmured, kissing my forehead. I thought he was going to end the conversation, but to my surprise, he kept speaking. "Have you thought of names yet?"

My eyes widened, and I shook my head. I really hadn't. Five months, and I hadn't thought of names. I was procrastinating. We needed to have -

"Rose, shhh," Dimitri whispered, his voice alarmed. "It's all right. You're fine. It'll get done, I promise."

I exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. I hated how paranoid I got now. "You're right. I'm sorry. I get so worried."

"I know, Roza. But everything will be all right. Would you like to think of names now?" he asked gently.

I was thankful that he asked otherwise I would be obsessing over it until it got done. I nodded eagerly, and he smiled at my enthusiasm.

"Girl names first," I said. Then another thought hit me. "Wait. Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?"

"I really don't care, Rose," he chuckled. I froze. He didn't care? He didn't want this to happen? He was lying to me. He never wanted a baby. I bit my lip and stared at the ground again.

"Okay," I croaked, tears pricking my eyes.

"Rose? Roza?" he whispered uncertainly. He took my hand lightly. "Rose, you know I didn't mean it like that, don't you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Roza," he sighed. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I'd be ecstatic either way. What do you want Z to be?" he asked. I could tell he was trying to change the subject, but now it made sense. He really hadn't meant it like that. It had been my emotions telling me hidden meanings that didn't exist.

I swallowed. "I don't know. A girl would be nice, but so would a boy."

He smiled encouragingly at me. "I'm rather fond of the name Sabrina. What do you think?"

"I think it's pretty," I told him, squeezing his hand. "But what about a middle name to go with it?"

"Hailey," he replied instantly. I wondered if he'd been thinking about this more than I had assumed.

"Sabrina Hailey . . ." A new question came to mind. "Belikov or Hathaway?"

His eyes widened, and he stiffened. "Well, technically, we're not married, so I'd say Hathaway," he replied slowly.

"Okay," I whispered. He didn't want Z to have his last name. That was the question that determined whether or not he really wanted this baby. And he failed.

"Roza, you know I would, but -" He sighed. "I do think of Z as a Belikov. But technically speaking -"

"This isn't technically speaking, Dimitri," I argued. "In your heart, is Z a Belikov or a Hathaway?"

"Belikov," he told me evenly. "Z is a Belikov."

"Sabrina Hailey Belikov," I whispered, satisfied. "It's a beautiful name."

Dimitri smiled. "That it is." He caressed my stomach once more before leaning back against the pillows. I laid my head back on his chest.

"I love you," I whispered, yawning.

"I love you, too. You need to rest, Rose." I curled up against him and sighed contentedly. I felt him stroking my hair. As I was slowly falling asleep, I swore I heard him whispering, "I'm really a father."

_Yes, you are, _I thought happily before falling asleep.

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**Soo... What do you think of the name? Like, dislike, love, hate? Please, tell me. I'm like, BEGGING you.**

**Review? Pretty please? And then maybe I'll give up another name?**

**- J.C.  
**


	9. Twins?

**I am so happy right now, you guys have no idea. Ten reviews on that last chapter. :D See, it's the little things that make us happy. So please review some more? I'm even updating today... That's a plus.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, we all know it's not mine. :D**

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I was now seven months pregnant, and I was dreading telling Dimitri the information I knew. He knew I was worried, that much I could tell. He would glance at me with nothing but concern in his red eyes, then turn away. Feeding hadn't been a problem so far, but I knew that soon he would become more anxious about that, even though he was really good at it so far.

We were sitting on a bed in yet another motel room. I wanted us to have a home of our own, but I knew it wasn't possible. Not yet, at least. I'd been saving Adrian's money, hoping that in time we could buy a house or even build our own to accomodate Dimitri's needs. It was astounding how much Adrian was giving us. It was like he _wanted_ us to buy a house.

Over the past two months, Dimitri had become strangely excited about the baby... I was afraid that if I told him, he would go back to being distant and cool about the entire thing. I had been dropping a few subtle hints, but if he got them, he didn't say anything about it. So far, we had two names for boys - Jeremy Grant and Nathan Michael. Sabrina Hailey was still with us, but if I was correct in my assumption, we were going to need one more girl name.

_Just say something already, Rose_. I was worrying myself to death over this.

"Dimitri?" I began hesitantly.

He gave me a blinding smile. "Yes, Rose?" He traced his fingers over my stomach, as he had done so many times in the past two months.

"Um, there was something I wanted to tell you." My heart rate increased, and Dimitri glanced at me worriedly. No doubt he could hear the frantic beat.

Hell, _I_ could hear it.

"Go ahead," he said warily.

"So, um, you know how I've been saying stuff about how we need more names than two?" His eyebrows dipped, and he sat up straighter.

"Yes," he said slowly.

"Well, um, I _think_ it's not just . . . one," I whispered, biting my lip anxiously. It was silent for a minute or two, but I wanted to let him have his space to think this through.

After five more minutes of silence, I glanced up at him from under my lashes. His jaw was hanging open, uncharacteristically allowing an emotion to overtake his entire face. He inhaled slowly.

"Twins?" he asked, astounded.

"Yeah. I think." I'd been feeling two separate kicks the past couple of weeks.

He muttered something in Russian, and I swallowed. That was what I was afraid of. I didn't want him freaking out. He'd been fine with one. I was afraid that two would be too much for him to handle.

"Are you okay?" I asked after a moment.

"Give me a minute," he requested, standing up. He was out the door in less than a second. I felt horrible, and I didn't know if he was ever coming back. I curled up on the bed, wishing he would return and not leave me here alone.

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I opened my eyes to find Dimitri laying next to me, his face next to my stomach. It looked like he was listening carefully. "Good morning, Rose," he whispered.

"Morning, Dimitri," I replied cautiously. "I'm glad to see you back."

He looked up at me. "I'm sorry for rushing out like that. I needed time to think."

"It's okay. I understand." He reached out to stroke my cheek lightly.

"Rose? May I ask you something?" His eyes were full of confusion. I nodded slowly. "How long did you know?" he asked softly.

"A few weeks," I answered, holding his cool hand to my face.

Hurt flashed across his perfect features. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid that you wouldn't want to stay anymore," I confessed.

"Oh, Rose," he sighed, sitting up, pulling me into his arms. "No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. I promise." I nodded, tears filling my eyes.

"I love you," I whispered, hugging him.

"I love you, too, Rose." He paused. "We have our boy names. We still need one more girl name. Any ideas?" He smiled a little.

"Adrienne," I replied. I had been worried about this for weeks. I had a back-up plan for everything these days. Even if Dimitri didn't know about the whole twins thing, I still had a name picked out. "Adrienne Kourtney Belikov."

I could tell that he fell in love with the name instantly. He grinned widely. "It's beautiful, Rose. Truly, it is. I should have known you already had something planned."

I shrugged. "I don't think it's _that_ good, Dimitri."

He shook his head softly. "You have no clue how brilliant you are. Adrienne Kourtney Belikov," he whispered, seeming to try it out.

"It's pretty," I said indifferently.

Dimitri chuckled, kissing my hair. "The name sounds like our daughter."

"If you say so," I told him, smiling.

We spent that morning laughing and talking excitedly, like a normal couple would be. He pressed kisses against my forehead and cheeks, grinning at me. He finally seemed to start enjoying the fact that he would soon be a father.

And I couldn't have been happier in that moment.

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**... Told you I'd give you another name, didn't I? XD So PLEASE review as much, if not more than the last chapter... Maybe 55, total? Please?**

**What about Adrienne Kourtney? Like that name as much as Sabrina Hailey? Let me know.**

**- J.C.  
**


	10. Come On

**Hey...**

**So. Over 1,500 hits this MONTH, and yet I still only have forty-four reviews... That's disappointing. :/ Come on, guys. I beg for reviews, and still nothing? I have finals coming up next week, and I wanted to keep updating all through that, but if I'm not getting any motivation, then it's hard for me to write.**

**So what to do? Here's what I've come up with. The original amount of 55 reviews stands. 55 reviews, and I'll update throughout this week. Even though I have finals, and I'm busy 24/7 with homework and studying. All I want is eleven more reviews. It's really not that much.**

**Please, guys. I'm counting on you. I'm really passionate about this story, and I'd hate to just stop. And as a bonus, if 55 reviews come in by TODAY, I'll give you a really long chapter.**

**I promise.**

**- J.C.  
**


	11. A Day Or Two

**Okay. First, thank you so much, guys! I'm extremely happy. =D Thanks so much. I really hate having to do that. Thanks again. So, as promised, an update!**

**Secondly, I kinda BS'd my way through this chapter with childbirth and etc... So if I got something wrong, please tell me nicely. I'm only in my teens, so I have no clue about any of this stuff. ;D  
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**Disclaimer: Rose and Dimitri do not belong to me... I'm just borrowing them. **

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Dimitri and I were ready for the twins to be born. Well, we were still assuming twins since he was hearing a second heartbeat rather than only one. We had found a summer cabin and were hunkered down in it. We had gone shopping so that I had two weeks' supply of food. He was ecstatic about the whole thing. We knew it was only a few days away until the day came.

It had been decided that Dimitri would deliver them. We couldn't afford a hospital visit, even with Adrian's money backing us up. We were too busy saving that money to buy a house. Besides, he roughly knew how to do it. It couldn't be that hard anyway.

I had sent him out for some air a few hours ago, to be outside when he could. I knew he hated that he couldn't be in the sunlight. It reminded him of what he was. I usually sent him outside during the night for a few minutes, at least. It was taking him a while, but I tried not to worry about that. I already had too many things to be paranoid about.

I sat on the black couch and picked up the remote. I flipped through the channels restlessly, trying not to be concerned. But thoughts kept plaguing my mind. What if the Academy caught up with him? What if he was thirsty and had killed someone? That one scared me, and I tried to remember when he'd last fed from me. It was only three days ago, so he should have been good for another two days. But if he hadn't taken as much as he usually did, then he would be thirsty.

I heard the door open and sighed. "Dimitri?" I called. As soon as his name left my mouth, he was sitting next to me, smiling. I smiled back. "I was worried," I admitted as he moved me to his side. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Why?" he murmured.

"You were gone a while."

He sighed softly. "I didn't mean to worry you."

I shrugged against him. "I know. It was my fault. I was being paranoid again." I glanced back at the door where there were a few bags that hadn't been there a few hours ago. "Dimitri? What's that?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, um, I figured that I'd go shopping for Z and X?" We'd taken to calling them that seeing as we still didn't know the genders.

I smiled. Dimitri looked so guilty, glancing up at me hopefully. "That's sweet, Dimitri," I whispered, kissing his cheek. "What did you get?"

His eyes widened, and mine narrowed in response. I could tell he'd been hoping that I wouldn't ask. "Do you want the truth or one of those little lies that will make you feel better?" he asked innocently.

I rolled my eyes. "How much, Dimitri?"

His lips twitched, and his eyes sparkled. "Only kidding, Roza. I picked up some clothes for them. Is that acceptable?" he teased, stroking my cheek tenderly.

I pursed my lips, glancing back at the bags. "I guess," I reluctantly agreed. I mean, they had to have clothes, right? He was definitely making an effort.

He smiled, and he glanced at my stomach. "I can't believe it," he whispered. "Only a few more days, and I'm a father."

I put my hand over his. "I know. It's incredible, isn't it?"

Swallowing, he nodded. "Roza, what if -"

"Dimitri, we've talked about this. You'll be a fantastic father. You won't do what your dad did. And you won't hurt them because you're a Strigoi. Please stop worrying. You'll see. Once they get here, you'll never want to hurt them."

He looked pained. "But what if I don't mean to?" he whispered. "What if I accidentally... Rose, if I hurt one of them, I'd never be able to live with myself."

"You don't hurt me," I reminded him, squeezing his hand.

"I _know_ I can't hurt you." He held my brown eyes with his red ones. "But I haven't known Z and X long enough to be absolutely _certain_ that I can't... that I would never... " He trailed off, and I could sense his self-doubt.

"Dimitri, look at me," I whispered. He kept his gaze locked on the floor. I nudged his chin with my thumb, gently coaxing him to look up at me. "You won't hurt Z and X. I promise. You think I would let you?"

His eyes were full of doubt and hesitancy. "I know you wouldn't let me. But I would hate myself for even thinking that I wanted to hurt them."

I brushed my thumb across his cheek. "You'll be an amazing father, Dimitri. Why would I want you to help me raise them if I didn't think you would be?"

The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile. "I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too, Dimitri. You know I do." I needed him to realize this. I could sense that he was considering leaving again. He was good at convincing himself that he was a monster who didn't need to be around people. I knew he wasn't. He never had been. The only thing Dimitri had done was stick around to stay by my side and help me raise these children.

"Yes, I know," he whispered. He lowered his head and kissed my stomach reverently. "If I _do_ ever hurt them," he breathed, anguish lacing every word, "please know that I never meant to."

"You won't hurt them, Dimitri. It'll be okay. Everything will work out."

"How?" he whispered. "I'm so dangerous, and you're so fragile."

I shrugged. "I don't know. It has to. Keep believing, and things will find a way of working themselves out."

He nodded. "You're so smart, Roza."

I chuckled. "I'm not sure about that, but whatever you say, Dimitri. Whatever you say. Hey, what's the date?" I was becoming paranoid about the date.

"It's March eighteenth," he replied, smiling with me.

"It's so soon," I sighed dreamily, snuggling into his body.

"Yes, it is." I heard the excitement in his voice. He was trying to mask it, but I knew him too well.

"Goodnight, Roza. Sweet dreams." That was the last sentence I heard before falling asleep next to the soon-to-be father of my children and the man I loved.

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**Yay, fluff and a little bit of angsty worry! ^_^ Review? Or I'll have to do another one of those boring author notes, and even I hate them. So as promised, my update!**

**Review. Seriously.**

**- J.C.  
**


	12. The Triplets

**All right. First of all, since I'm fourteen, I have decided to SKIP the birth part. I have no clue what I'm doing in that area, but have decided that the best thing for me and you is to skip over that entire thing. Instead of BS'ing my way through the whole thing, I'm going to start where I know what happens.**

**Secondly, thanks for the reviews!**

**And finally, in case I don't review before then, Merry Christmas!**

**Disclaimer: Rose and Dimitri? Nope. But the Three Miracles (hint, hint...)? Yeah, they're ALL mine. :D**

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This entire journey was incredible. I couldn't be disappointed because Dimitri was a Strigoi. It was impossible to be upset because I was away from my best friend. Everything that had happened in these last nine months was nothing because I was finally holding my daughter in my arms.

Sabrina Hailey Belikov stared up at me, the beginning of a smile on her beautiful face. Tears came to my eyes, and I knew I was being overemotional... again. I glanced at Dimitri, who was holding Adrienne Kourtney Belikov in his arms.

He was grinning so hugely that I had to smile. I knew he would love them. Dimitri was cooing at his oldest daughter, and she was smiling. Everything was perfect.

"I love you, Adrienne Kourtney Belikov," he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. She squealed in delight, and Sabrina followed her example, smiling as well.

"God, Dimitri, they're beautiful," I breathed. Sabrina had gorgeous chesnut brown hair, just like her father. Adrienne had my hair. She looked exactly like me.

Jeremy Grant Belikov shifted in Dimitri's arms and yawned. I smiled at Dimitri, whose returning grin was so ecstatic that I had to chuckle a little. Dimitri's son looked almost exactly like him. His hair was the same color, and his facial structure was Dimitri's.

"Yes, they are, Roza. Yes, they are," Dimitri replied quietly. "I can't believe this," he murmured, almost to himself.

I smiled. "I told you so."

He looked up at me, and I saw the devotion and adoration in his red eyes. "Yes, you did."

March nineteenth - it was a day I would remember for the rest of my life. It was Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina's birthday. And in that cabin, our family was perfect. It was Dimitri and I with our children. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Dimitri was especially fond of Adrienne, and I was strangely attached to Sabrina. It was strange - Dimitri became attached to the child with the name that I had thought of, and vice versa. Sabrina was the youngest, and Adrienne the oldest.

That entire day, Dimitri made sure I was always sitting, and I held each one of my children. Dimitri was almost always in motion. He was either helping me, feeding one of the kids, putting them down for a nap, or holding one.

I was glad he was faster than most people. We would need the extra speed and strength. When night fell, Dimitri and I put them to bed and watched them sleep.

"They're so amazing," he whispered, stroking my cheek.

"I know. I told you this would be incredible. You're going to be a wonderful father. You know that, right?"

He nodded, and this time there was a little bit of confidence in the gesture. I knew he would be. He was just so caring. He worried about other people, and on top of that, he was almost always calm.

There was the sound of crying, and he was up before I could even think about it. "See?" I whispered as he rocked Sabrina gently, shushing her.

I stood up, coming to his side. Sabrina had tears flowing down her cheeks. I brushed them away with my thumbs, kissing her forehead gently in the process.

"Shh, Sabrina Hailey, it'll be all right," I murmured. She sniffled, glancing up at us before looking around again.

"I love you, Sabrina Belikov, I truly do," Dimitri said quietly, stroking her cheek. I saw the love in his eyes and smiled. I knew I wasn't being hopeful when I told him that he would love these kids.

At least we weren't calling them X and Z anymore. They had names, they were real people, and they existed. It was a lot to take in. I was nervous about many things. We would have to be careful around them. They couldn't know Dimitri's true nature - not for a while, at least. If we told them when they were young, they wouldn't understand the necessity of keeping it a secret.

I didn't want to keep secrets from them, but this was crucial. We couldn't risk Dimitri's secret. That would have to be kept to ourselves for a while. Then there was also the issue of seeing Lissa again. But I was sure that somehow we would manage it. If there's a will, there's a way, the saying goes.

And damn, did I have a will. I missed Lissa like crazy, and it was pretty obvious in the way I sometimes moped around, either in a hotel room or the cabin.

Dimitri set Sabrina back in our makeshift crib, effectively pulling me from my thoughts. He took my hand and squeezed gently. "I love you, Roza."

"I love you, too, Dimitri." I yawned after my statement. Being a parent was hard work.

The corners of Dimitri's lips twitched up, heading toward a smile. "Come on, Rose. Let's get you to bed."

I scowled at him a little. "I'm not a baby, Dimitri."

He just smiled and kissed my forehead. "You need your rest, Rose."

I sighed. I couldn't argue with that. "Fine."

Dimitri smiled, knowing that he'd won this argument. I climbed into the bed and closed my eyes. I wasn't worried about the kids since Dimitri didn't sleep. He could always keep an eye on them, even while I was sleeping.

I laid my head on his chest and sighed in contentment.

This day couldn't have gone any better. Our children were in the world with us, and Dimitri loved them.

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**Yay!! The kids are here, the kids are here! Okay, a few things.**

**In order from eldest to youngest: Adrienne, Jeremy, Sabrina. Their birthday is March 19th. This is not the end of this story. I've got tons more. The kids get to grow up and find love... (YAY!) I actually have a one-shot up about Sabrina meeting her boyfriend. It's called 'Taking A Chance', I believe.**

**There's still much more to this story, probably 20 or so more chapters. And then there's a sequel. But enough of that. Let's see, how many reviews this time? ... 90? Possibly? I gave you the kids. :D It would make my day if I tipped 100, but that's pushing it, so 90? Maybe?**

**Merry Christmas, guys! Hope it's a good one.**

**- J.C.**

**P.S. What do you think about the kids?? (I personally love them, but I'm biased. XD)  
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	13. Aunt Lissa

**Hey, guys. Hope you're having a good Christmas. :D Hopefully, this will be a long chapter! I hope so, at least…**

**Disclaimer: Adrienne? Yep. Jeremy? Mhm… Sabrina? Oh, yes. Dimitri? … Crap.**

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**6 Months Later…**

I don't know how he did it. I wasn't even sure it was physically possible. Somehow, somewhere, Dimitri had gotten a car. And we were only minutes away from my best friend in the entire world.

The kids had grown up a little. Well, a lot, really. I hated to admit it, though.

Adrienne was turning out to be just like me, while Jeremy was like his father. Sabrina seemed to be a mix of us, both fiery and calm at times.

I was secretly worried. According to Dimitri, he'd been just as fierce and hot-tempered as I was before he had reigned it in. If both of us had fiery personalities, there was no telling how irascible the kids would be. But that would be a different battle for a different time.

We had to worry about how Dimitri would get into the Academy. I knew Lissa would want to meet the kids, and I couldn't hold three kids with two arms. That, and I just didn't want Dimitri wandering around without me.

A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump, and my grip on Jeremy tightened ever so slightly.

"Rose, calm down," Dimitri soothed. "I wanted to tell you that I can't feel the wards around the Academy." His voice held a hint of confusion in his voice. I could understand that. The Academy was usually very good about keeping the wards up.

Something big must have happened for them to forget about the wards.

"Okay. You want to go for it?"

I felt, rather than saw, his shrug. "If you want to. But are you sure Lissa won't –"

"Freak out and turn us in?" I finished sourly. "Yeah, I'm sure. She won't." Dimitri had worried about this for weeks. It was the one reason he insisted that I couldn't see Liss.

He knew I missed her, and he wanted me to see her. But he was afraid that she wouldn't accept his nature, and, subsequently, turn us in to Kirova.

"If you're sure, Rose," he said unsurely. I sighed. With my free hand, I touched his cheek lightly.

"Don't worry, Dimitri. I know my best friend. She'll worry, yes. But if I ask her not to tell, she won't tell. I promise."

He sighed softly and nodded a little. I smiled encouragingly. "I trust you," he simply murmured, kissing my forehead.

"Let's go, then." We set off for the gates of the Academy. Again, sneaking past the guards was strangely easy.

_The Academy is really losing their standards, _I thought, heading for Lissa's dorm room. Dimitri was close behind me, and I heard Adrienne giggle. I glanced back, concerned. If she continued, there was a very real chance that we could be discovered. And though Lissa might be lenient toward us, others would not.

But Dimitri was blissfully unaware of anything other than his daughter's joy. I cleared my throat pointedly, and he shot me an apologetic glance but continued to coo and kiss Adrienne.

"Dimitri, want to switch?" I asked quietly. We were only a few hundred yards from Lissa's room.

He looked up and nodded. I handed him Jeremy, and he gave me Sabrina. It was an unspoken agreement between us. Dimitri was to have Adrienne at all times, unless I specifically asked for her.

He was strangely protective of his oldest daughter, and I respected that. I grinned as I came to Lissa's room.

I knocked, and she threw the door open. Dimitri, wisely, had stayed a few yards back, giving Lissa and me our space.

"Rose?" she whispered, her delicate eyebrows dipping. Her eyes widened when she saw Sabrina in my arms. "Rose, what –"

"Lissa, shh. I told you, remember?"

Could she really have forgotten the fact that I had been pregnant?

"Yeah, but – I mean . . ." She trailed off when she spied Adrienne and Jeremy. "What the . . . ?"

"I know, Lissa, I know. Maybe we can go inside and talk about this?" I suggested. _Come on, Lissa. Take the bait. We can't wait out here forever._

She nodded, confusion filling her. She knew I was going to have a baby, but triplets confounded her. Dimitri and I followed her inside.

"Okay. Spill," Lissa demanded, her hands instantly moving to her hips, showing me that she meant business.

"Well, um, as it turned out, it wasn't just _one_ baby. It was . . . three," I admitted, cradling Sabrina.

"I can see that," Lissa snapped. I recoiled from her harsh tone, and I heard Dimitri's soft growl of protest. I wasn't mad at Lissa. Through the bond, I felt that she wasn't upset at me. She didn't understand what had happened.

"Dimitri, hush. She's fine," I murmured. "I don't get it, either, Liss. We got triplets."

She exhaled shakily and ran a hand through her hair. "Do I get to know their names?"

"Of course." I ran a finger along Sabrina's cheek. "This is Sabrina Hailey Belikov."

Lissa's mouth opened, then closed. "Belikov?" she questioned. It did not escape my notice that her eyes flicked to my left hand in wonder.

I chuckled. "Not what you're thinking, Lissa. They're his kids. Eventually, somehow, we'll get married, but they need to have his name."

She nodded. "And the others?"

"Dimitri has Adrienne Kourtney Belikov and Jeremy Grant Belikov," I finished, smiling at Dimitri, who was playing and nuzzling his two older children.

Lissa moved forward unconsciously, but Dimitri noticed. He looked up at Lissa and smiled cautiously. Lissa was wary of his red eyes. I felt her shock and mistrust the moment she saw his eyes.

I took a deep breath, silently urging her forward. I knew he would never hurt her, and she needed to realize that as well. After a short moment of hesitation, she moved forward again, and I thanked whatever God was out there.

"Hi," Lissa said quietly. I could hear the reluctance in her tone, and I was sure Dimitri would pick up on it as well. I was hoping that Dimitri wouldn't be upset with Lissa for sounding so hesitant.

"Hello, Princess," Dimitri murmured respectfully. Though he was a Strigoi and no longer an official guardian, he still knew his place.

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Dimitri, seriously. Call me Lissa."

I smiled at her attempt to be casual with him. Dimitri smiled as well. Then he did something that surprised me greatly.

He offered Jeremy to her. Lissa's eyes widened, and shock flowed through me. And then I knew her true feelings. No matter what front she put up, she had a lot of respect for Dimitri.

To be allowed to hold his son was the biggest honor she could have thought up.

"Dimitri . . ." Her voice wavered. "Are you sure?"

"Completely sure." He answered without pausing. Lissa gave him a hesitant smile and took Jeremy.

She smiled at him after a moment. Jeremy grinned back at her, like he knew exactly where he was.

"I like him," she announced after a moment, looking into his eyes. Jeremy laughed a little and clapped his hands, and Lissa's grin grew. "I think he likes me, too."

I chuckled under my breath, and Lissa and Dimitri glanced at me, curious. "Aunt Lissa," I snickered.

Lissa blushed but muttered, "I don't mind Aunt Lissa."

Dimitri and I exchanged a knowing look. She didn't know what she'd gotten herself into. This nickname would stick with her for the rest of her life.

We were in the middle of our lovely meeting that had gone much better than I had anticipated when there was a sharp knock at the door.

Everyone froze. We were caught.

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**I have updated, now I would love reviews for Christmas!! Please? I got a laptop, so updates will, hopefully, be more frequent. Please review? 90, at least. **

**- J.C.**


	14. Skeptical Christian

**I got 90, so**** here's the update!**

**Disclaimer: Adrienne, Jeremy, Sabrina - MINE. Rose and Dimitri? (Sigh...) Nope.**

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Dimitri and I flew into a frenzied dash for Lissa's bedroom. I was a second behind Dimitri, one, because I was not a Strigoi, and therefore could not move as fast as he could; and two, because I had to grab Jeremy from Lissa.

"Just a second!" Lissa called hastily. "Are you guys okay?" she hissed under her breath.

"Go ahead, Liss," I answered calmly. Dimitri and I were currently hiding in Lissa's bedroom, sitting on the floor. God, if the Academy found us, we would be in so much trouble.

I was alert, letting myself completely absorb what Lissa was feeling. Lissa's anxiety, coupled by my own, was turning me into a nervous wreck. I heard the door open, and Dimitri and I froze. I was silently hoping that the kids would stay quiet. And like they always did, they were silent, staring up at us with huge eyes, but smiling, nonetheless.

Relief washed through me, and it was not my own. "Oh. Hey, Christian." Lissa's voice was pointed, but I was still skeptical.

_It's okay, Rose. You can come out._ I was not as confident as she was.

"Lissa says it's safe," I murmured, cradling Jeremy and Sabrina tenderly. Dimitri had his face next to Adrienne's, looking concerned.

"It's Christian," I stated flatly.

"Yes, I know." Dimitri sounded unsure.

"If you want me to go first, I will," I offered. I knew Dimitri would never want to endanger any of his kids, especially Adrienne. He nodded slowly. I handed him Jeremy, since Sabrina was always with me. I stood up, trying to stay silent. I didn't want to give away my position, but I also didn't want to scare the hell out of Christian.

I creeped out of the bedroom, being silent. Christian was turned toward Lissa, so he couldn't see me behind him. Lissa looked worried, but I gave her a look that told her to cut it out.

"Um, Christian? Please don't freak out, but look behind you," she squeaked. I froze, clutching Sabrina to me tightly.

Christian turned slowly. "Shit," he hissed lowly. I nearly rolled my eyes. This wouldn't be a happy reunion. "What are you doing here?"

"What? No hug or anything?" I teased.

He scowled at me, then his eyes widened when he caught sight of Sabrina. "Is that what I think it is?" he breathed.

I nodded a little, glancing up at him. I was trying to judge how he was taking all of this. I didn't want him freaking out on me. So far, he just looked like he was going to faint.

Lissa decided to interject at this point. "Uh, Christian?" He glanced at her warily. "There's more."

"What more could there be?" he nearly shouted. Sabrina stirred in my arms. Just as I was going to whack Christian for screaming around my daughter, Liss beat me to it.

She smacked his arm. "Could you shut up?" she hissed. "You almost woke Sabrina up."

He sighed, looking at me. "Sorry. What else is there?"

"Wait right here," I instructed, turning as quickly as possible. I knew Dimitri would be anxious for me to get back. I went to the bedroom, where he was sitting on the bed, his body rigid. I saw a hint of his fangs extended. I put a hand on his shoulder gently, hoping to rouse him from his tense state.

His head snapped up to look at me. His eyes were full of self-restraint, but beneath that was anger. The beginnings of a growl were rumbling in his chest, and his mouth was twisted into a tight scowl. He bared his teeth at me, but I knew he wasn't upset with me. This anger was caused by Christian.

"Shh, Dimitri. Everything will be okay. We'll get this worked out, I promise," I soothed. I knew he was worrying about taking Adrienne to meet Christian. "Lissa would rather bite Christian's head off than see Jeremy hurt."

I chuckled at that visual, and Dimitri stirred a bit at the sound. He looked worried.

"I'll go first again, if you want," I offered. I held my free arm out to take Jeremy from him. I knew Dimitri would want all of his attention to be focused on Adrienne. He loved all of his kids, but his attachment to her was astounding.

He nodded slowly and handed Jeremy over willingly. I was still worried about him at this point. I didn't need him trying to kill Christian for saying something rude. I took his free hand as best I could and squeezed tightly.

I could feel Lissa worrying about where we were. She was starting to think that we'd jumped out the window and escaped.

"I promise, Dimitri. Our children will not be harmed." When I said 'our children', he came to life and seemed to relax. He squeezed back gingerly.

"I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too. Now let's go. Lissa is starting to worry."

I went back out, taking a deep breath. I knew I had to prepare myself for Christian's reaction. Because, just like all of us, he was going to be shocked when he saw three children rather than one.

Christian's face paled quickly. He put a hand on his head, like he had a headache. "_Another _one?" he whispered softly. I nodded, glancing back at Dimitri. He kept his face low but moved slowly from the shadows of the hallway.

"God," Christian spat, stumbling backwards in his haste to get away from our children that much faster. Lissa was looking on, concern on her face. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "Do I at least get to know their names?" he asked icily.

My words were fast and clipped. "I have Sabrina and Jeremy, and he has Adrienne." I purposely left out who _he_ was.

Christian motioned his head toward Dimitri, who cringed back half a step, shielding Adrienne immediately. "Who's he?" I was silent, hoping he wouldn't press for more information. A strange look came over his face. "This is - this is that thing, isn't it? That thing Lissa won't tell me?" he accused, stepping forward, gaining more courage.

I paused for a moment, then nodded meekly. To put it bluntly, he looked really pissed off. I took a step back, but that didn't do anything to diffuse the tense atmosphere in the room. We were all watching each other warily when Lissa moved by my side. She glanced at me, an inquisitive yet forceful feeling washing over me.

She touched Jeremy's cheek, silently asking if she could take him. I nodded wordlessly, and my best friend picked up my son and smiled. She glided gracefully back to her boyfriend. "Isn't he cute, Christian?" she asked. Lissa made sure to stick Jeremy right next to Christian.

Dimitri leaned forward, growling quietly. I backed up closer to him. "Shh. She won't let Christian hurt him."

It was a tense ten seconds before Christian finally relented. "Fine. He is pretty cute." The atmosphere lightened noticeably, and I figured that it was now or never for the final part of our little half-confession.

I handed Sabrina to Dimitri. He smiled anxiously, and my hand lingered on his wrist longer than it normally would have. I gripped his wrist gently, giving him a light squeeze then released him. I moved discreetly to the door so that Christian couldn't escape.

"Now for the, um, last part," I mumbled uncomfortably.

Christian looked at me like he was going to murder me if I had any more tricks up my sleeve. "What now?" he grumbled.

I said the sentence quickly, and I halfway hoped that he wouldn't catch it. "Their last name is Belikov."

His eyes widened, and he inhaled sharply. His eyebrows dipped in utter confusion. "Belikov? _Belikov? _As in Guardian _Belikov_?" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded, managing to murmur a soft, "Yeah."

Christian looked like he was thinking hard about something. "So, what, did he rape you?"

Dimitri lost it. He crouched, and I noticed the tendons in his arms flexing tightly as his muscles tightened and coiled, waiting to pounce. The start of a hiss was in his throat, and it was obvious that he forgot that the kids were in his arms. I moved over to him cautiously, hoping that some recollection would hit him.

It never happened.

I touched his face gently, making him look at me. "Dimitri," I breathed. "He doesn't mean it. He didn't know that we were in love. We never publicly announced it or anything. You need to calm down. You have Adrienne and Sabrina, remember?" Even with their advanced hearing, there was no possible way that Lissa and Christian could hear what I was saying.

At the names of his daughters, he straightened immediately and looked at me. He glanced over my shoulder at Christian, frowned in disgust, then pressed his lips against my forehead. He stared into my eyes for a short moment, then let out a soft breath.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Dimitri, let me have Sabrina, all right?" He willingly handed her over, sensing that I was not in a mood to fight over this. I handed Sabrina to Lissa. "You can handle both of them, right?" I had to make sure for Dimitri's sake. Lissa nodded, completely sure of herself.

I went back to guarding the door. "No, Christian. He didn't."

"So what? You guys slept together?" There was blatant skepticism in his voice, and I saw Dimitri scowl at it.

"Yes," I replied evenly.

"And what? You're carrying on his name since he isn't here anymore?" Christian scoffed, and I mentally sighed. This was going to be a long explanation.

"Oh, he's here," I simply said, resisting the urge to look at Dimitri.

Christian rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. You heard what Kirova said. And besides, if you know where he is, then tell me. Where is he?"

"Right on top of you," I snickered. Dimitri was merely feet away from him.

Christian turned, but, to him, that wasn't Dimitri. It was only the mysterious stranger I had brought with me. "Ha ha. Very funny. You almost had me going for a minute."

"I wasn't kidding." I arched an eyebrow in amusement, and I felt a smirk curl my lips. He looked at me, disbelief written all over his face. He turned his attention to Lissa.

"Tell me she's kidding, Liss," he begged.

She glanced at him. "She's not, Christian."

He locked his jaw. "Well, where the hell is Belikov, then? I don't see him," he snapped.

I almost laughed. Christian was going to get the shock of his life when Dimitri revealed himself. Which looked like it was going to happen in the next five seconds if I was judging him correctly. Dimitri was going to get his revenge, and I knew he was looking forward to that fact.

I was quiet as he silently moved foward, ready to scare the hell out of Lissa's incredulous boyfriend.

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**Yay, an update! And it's over 2,000 words! So maybe I could get over 100 reviews? Hope you all have an amazing New Year's! =D**

**Review. Or I shall have Dimitri scare the hell out of you. Mwahaha...**

**- J.C.**


	15. Rage

**... Hey, guys. Sorry it's been a while. But congratulate yourselves! I got to 100! Special shout-out to Seth'sONLYIMPRINT who gave me my 100th review. ^_^ Thanks!! Okay, a few technicalities to get out of the way.**

**(1) Updates will not be as fast. Unfortunately, I am now in more advanced classes (i.e. Advanced Placement, and Geometry {which at my school is for 10th grade, and I am a freshman. O_O}... )**

**(2) In reference to the harder classes, that means that I have more homework. : P Which sucks for me, and for you guys. Updates will most likely be only on the weekends.**

**(3) I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. You guys make me feel like my little stupid story is something interesting to more people than just myself. :D Your words have made me incredibly happy.**

**(4) I started a forum on the triplets. You can find it on my profile at the top, next to my e-mail and profile picture. (E-mail me if you want! Just tell me your username so I can come and look you up later!) Start discussing if you want!**

**(5) I need an opinion from my readers. On January 20th, it will be 6 months since my mom has died. Should I update all my stories on that day, or not update anything? She loved that I wrote, but I'm not sure what kind of mood I will be in that day... If you guys could tell me in a review, or a PM, that would really help me out. c: Thanks so much, to everyone! You've really given me reason to keep doing what I love doing.**

**Disclaimer: Rose, Dimitri, Lissa, and Christian are not mine - Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina, however, are. ^_^**

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"I believe you're looking for me," Dimitri chuckled darkly, touching Christian's shoulder. Christian spun around.

"Holy shit," he gasped. I could almost hear the wheels in his head cursing his stupidity. He now realized that Dimitri had been here the entire time, heard every taunt he'd said about him. I glanced at Lissa, who was watching both curiously and worriedly. Her lips were twisted into a small smirk, but her eyes held nothing but concern for her boyfriend. I wasn't worried. I knew Dimitri would never really hurt Christian.

"I didn't see you there, Guardian Belikov," Christian apologized. I thought it was a harmless statement, but Dimitri's eyes grew darker, and his face hardened.

"Don't call me that," he muttered, turning away. I was afraid he was going to start a little pity party for himself again, but Christian hadn't seen Dimitri's eyes yet.

"What is his problem?" Christian asked me.

Lissa's eyes widened. "You didn't see?" she whispered, still being mindful of Jeremy and Sabrina. I glanced at Dimitri, who was cradling his daughter reverently. He seemed calm, but I knew that he was one wrong word away from blowing up.

"See what?" Christian asked, his eyebrows dipping. Dimitri whirled around, glaring at him fiercely. I cringed internally. Here came the explosion. I hoped that his control wouldn't completely snap or else little Adrienne would be a goner. Of course, I had the utmost faith in Dimitri. That, and I knew that if I even acted like I was going to take her from him, he would become even more infuriated.

"_These_," Dimitri hissed, glaring at Christian. Dimitri growled softly and turned away. I knew he hated himself for what he had become even though it wasn't his fault. And Christian looked like he was about to faint. Normally, Christian would have noticed Dimitri's eyes right away, but with everything that had happened, he probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. That, and the fact that everyone thought it was impossible to sneak a Strigoi into the Academy was also an issue.

Christian's eyes widened, and he stumbled backward, spitting, "Shit. What the hell, Lissa?" He glanced at me incredulously. "Forget this. I'm gone."

He tried to run for the door, but I beat him there. "No. You can't leave. Not until you promise you won't tell."

I had been hesitant about telling Christian because of his past with Strigoi. I had known that Christian would try to tell Kirova about Dimitri. I hadn't worried about telling Lissa. I was her best friend. Regardless of what our society told us, she would never want to jeopardize something or someone that I loved. It was why I had told Lissa without concern or discomfort. It was nice to hear that she hadn't snitched on me and Dimitri.

Christian glared at me, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession. "Get out of my way," he bit out.

"No." He reached out to grab my shoulder and move me but froze when Dimitri snarled at him.

"If you cherish your life, you will not lay a hand on her," Dimitri growled. Needless to say, Christian retracted his hand extremely quickly. I glanced at Dimitri who looked like he was about to pounce on Christian, despite the fact that he had followed Dimitri's instructions.

"Dimitri, deep breath," I said quietly. I didn't need him trying to kill Christian. That wouldn't go over well with Lissa or the Academy.

Dimitri's bright red eyes flashed to mine, and there was an element of danger in his eyes. They were almost daring me to say something, to stop him. I knew he wasn't in control of himself very well right now.

"It's okay. I'm okay," I soothed. I longed to go to him, to hold him, but I couldn't. I was still blocking Christian's exit. I was afraid it wouldn't do anything, but right then, Adrienne shifted in Dimitri's arms. He looked down at her, and I could see the tension in his body disappearing. He cradled her and kissed her forehead gently. He glanced up at me, and the usual tranquility I saw in his eyes was back.

I breathed out a silent sigh of relief. Dimitri had found his self-control again. Now we still had Christian to deal with. I took a deep breath and looked at Christian who was looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Promise me you won't tell about him," I said, my voice low.

He glared at me. "Hell no. I have to tell Kirova about him."

I scowled. "Christian, it's simple. Keep one secret for me, for _Lissa_, and that's it. Don't push me on this."

Christian scoffed. "_No_. I shouldn't be here. Hell, _Lissa_ shouldn't be here," he insisted.

Lissa rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Christian. Just don't tell. It'll make things easier on everyone, especially yourself. She's serious about this."

"This is stupid," he groaned. "Fine. I give. I promise I won't tell anyone about him."

I sighed. "Christian, do you take me for an idiot? I know you don't mean it."

"Of _course_ I don't mean it," he said in exasperation. "How can I? God, Lissa, how can you be standing here like nothing is wrong?"

"Because nothing's wrong," she replied fiercely, looking up at him. "Just promise and mean it. They're not going to let you leave unless you do."

I glanced worriedly at Dimitri whose gaze was firmly locked on Christian. He was staring daggers into the back of Christian's head, most likely remembering the comment about Dimitri raping me.

Christian sighed deeply. "This is all so messed up. How can you stand it, Lissa?"

My best friend shook her head slowly. "It doesn't bother me." Lissa glanced at Dimitri. "It doesn't bug me that you're a Strigoi anymore. Not when you hold your daughter like that." Dimitri offered her a small smile. She smiled back.

Christian locked his jaw and gritted his teeth. His nostrils slightly flared. "For God's sake, Lissa, he is a _monster_." Dimitri flinched, and this time _I_ lost it. I whirled Christian around so fast he didn't know what hit him. My hand wrapped around his throat, and he was pressed up against the door, his toes barely touching the floor.

"Rose, don't hurt him," Lissa whimpered.

"Stay out of it, Lissa," I snapped. "This is between me and him. Now _take it back_." I tightened my grip around his throat, emphasizing my point.

"Never."

Fury washed over me in waves, and I felt my eyes narrow. I pulled back slightly and slammed him into the door. "Take - it - back," I threatened.

"Make me," he spat. I gritted my teeth and put all of my force onto Christian's throat. He began to choke, and I couldn't bring myself to care. I could hear Lissa in the background crying and begging, but that was all in the back of my consciousness.

The only thing I cared about now was forcing an apology from Christian even if he didn't want to give me one.

There was a light touch on my shoulder, and I spun angrily, wanting to kill whoever was interrupting me. I heard Christian's form hit the ground, and I took pride in hearing him gasp for breath. It made me feel accomplished. Maybe now he would pay attention.

"Rose, breathe," Dimitri whispered intently. I looked at him like he was crazy. I was fine. What was wrong with him? Did he think something was wrong with me? He was watching me carefully, his eyes holding nothing but concern.

He pulled me against him, and my arms automatically locked around his waist. What was the matter with him?

"Roza, come back to me," he murmured.

Come back to him? I was right here! I heard Christian gasp in another breath, and I stiffened. How I wanted to turn around and smash him into that door again and again. Dimitri locked his arms tightly around me so that I was stuck in his arms. There was a faded memory that tried to come to the forefront of my mind, but I ignored it.

"Roza, breathe. Let it pass," Dimitri whispered softly. I was still infuriated, but I decided to humor him by breathing deeply. It began to work, and the haze that had been over my mind began to recede. I felt us moving, and then I was curled up against Dimitri's side, my eyes squeezed shut as I tried to calm down.

Now I could find the memory that had been telling me to stop. I remembered that night with clarity, seeing Lissa so upset, and becoming that infuriated myself. Dimitri had stopped me, and that had begun the night in the cabin. Which had resulted in my daughters and son. I opened my eyes slowly and saw Adrienne, still cradled in Dimitri's arms. She was looking back at me, and I suddenly felt my age.

I was eighteen. What was I doing with three kids? But an overwhelming sense of calm washed over me, and for the first time, I had the courage to tell Dimitri that I wanted my eldest daughter.

"Give her to me," I whispered. I glanced up at him, and he was watching me, his face full of concern.

"Roza, are you -"

"Give her - to me," I said sternly. I chanced a look at him, worried that he would take the steeliness of my voice the wrong way.

He nodded slowly and handed Adrienne to me. I held my daughter, sighing in contentment. I smiled at her, and she smiled back, like she knew what was going on.

"Rose, what the hell?" Lissa snapped. I looked up and saw with relief that she still had Sabrina and Jeremy safely in her arms.

"It's not her fault," Dimitri murmured. "This anger - it's not something she can control," he hedged. I knew it was because Lissa used spirit, but she didn't need to know that she was the reason that I would periodically go insane.

Lissa looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Rose. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Liss. Thanks." I smiled halfheartedly. My eyes glanced to the floor where Christian had gotten to his feet finally. His throat was red from where I'd gripped it too hard, and I cringed a little.

Christian caught me looking at him and chuckled. "I don't know, Rose. Think you could have made me a brighter red?"

I chuckled uneasily. "Listen, Christian, I'm really sorry about that whole thing. I didn't mean to -"

"Heard the story, don't need it twice," he interrupted. "I'm sorry for pushing you to that." He glanced at Dimitri. "And I'm sorry for saying that you raped -"

Dimitri growled softly as a warning. Christian stopped speaking, apparently understanding that Dimitri got what he was trying to say but didn't want to hear more. "You're forgiven," Dimitri muttered.

Christian nodded, smiling a little. "Liss, I'm gonna go."

I looked at Christian, afraid that he would still tell Kirova about Dimitri. Christian's eyes grew almost gentle as he looked at me.

"I promise I won't tell people about him, Rose. I'll see you later." I watched as he left and let out a silent sigh of relief. Hopefully, he would keep that promise.

"Rose, are you all right?" Dimitri murmured, touching my cheek gently with the back of his knuckles. I looked up at him, feeling my age again. And as much as I hated to admit it, I was afraid.

His eyes were tender and gentle. His lips were pulled up into a small smile. "I love you, Rose," he said, his voice strong and steady.

I smiled a little and looked back down at my daughter. "Yes, I'm okay," I sighed, answering his question.

"Dimitri, could you take Sabrina?" Lissa asked. Dimitri took his youngest daughter, and I smiled, wishing we had a camera. The scene unfolding was one of perfection. My best friend had my son, my only love was holding his youngest daughter, and I had Adrienne. And we were all okay.

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**It's the longest chapter yet! ****Awww... Evil Dimitri, Evil Rose, then fluff! Yay! Seriously, though, guys, I am blown away by the amount of hits I get, but the low amount of reviews I get. : / Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! And to everyone else, please, I'm two seconds away from begging for your feedback.**

**Again, I need some help on what to do when the 20th rolls around. (See top for explanation.) So please send me a PM or review telling me. :| Thanks. **

**And if you cherish your life, you will review! **

**- J.C.**


	16. Losing Control

**Hey, guys. Still haven't completely figured out what I'm going to do about the 20th... But I decided to update 'cuz I love you guys so much! XD Thanks for the reviews. They make me feel much better. =D**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead, not me... Damn it.**

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After a few moments of watching our children, Dimitri and I decided that it was time to go. Only to realize that the sun had already risen.

"Lissa, would it be all right if we stayed?" I asked, glancing worriedly at Dimitri. I wasn't sure if he was going to be upset about the fact that we had to stay longer or not. But he seemed calm as he watched Adrienne yawn. She curled her tiny hands into Dimitri's shirt, and he smiled at her.

"Of course. What's mine is yours and yours is mine." Her lips curved into a smile as Jeremy nuzzled his face against her shoulder. "Except this one. This one is mine."

Dimitri growled softly at that, and Lissa laughed. "I'm only kidding, Dimitri," she said quietly. Sabrina was already asleep in my arms, and I was sure Adrienne was about to go to sleep, as well. Lissa noticed. "Rose, you guys can use my bedroom if you want," she offered.

I grinned at her. "Keep Jeremy as long as you like." Dimitri growled again, and I laughed. "She knows what I mean." I took his hand and led him to Lissa's room. We made a makeshift crib out of things lying around Liss's room. Sabrina and Adrienne slept soundly next to each other.

I looked at Dimitri and smiled tiredly. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and he held me close. "Are you all right?" he murmured.

I nodded slowly, relaxing into his familiar embrace. "Crazy day, huh?" I asked dryly.

Dimitri smiled and nodded, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I love you," he whispered roughly, tightening his grip around my waist slightly.

"I love you, too," I replied steadily. "But are you all right?" He was acting a little off. I was on guard, but I wasn't afraid of Dimitri. I never had been.

He swallowed, and I noticed that he was shivering a little. I looked at his eyes and nearly gasped. They were a dark maroon. _Shit! _I yelped in my mind. He hadn't fed in almost two weeks. "Dimitri, you have to tell me about this before it gets out of hand," I whispered worriedly.

"Sorry," he croaked, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Dimitri, come on. Time to feed," I coaxed, touching his face gently. His eyes opened slowly, and they were filled with torment.

"I'll hurt you," he whispered.

"No, you won't." I rubbed his cheek with my thumb. I looked him dead in the eyes. "I trust you."

"Rose, you guys better be behaving," Lissa called. I snickered.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied. She appeared in the doorway, a smirk on her face.

"So where were you guys living before you came here?" Lissa was rocking Jeremy back and forth slowly, and it looked like he was finally calming down. He was such a hyper child.

"We moved around to a bunch of different hotels," I replied. Lissa nodded, and Dimitri moved and took Jeremy from her. He disappeared, most likely going to put Jeremy in the crib.

"That's cool. How'd you get the money?"

"I'll tell you later," I murmured. Dimitri knew we were getting the money from Adrian, but he didn't know why. I preferred to keep it that way for the time being. Lissa surprised me by throwing her arms around me.

"God, I missed you, Rose."

I hugged her back tightly. "I missed you, too, Liss."

---

**Dimitri's POV**

I held my son in my arms, looking at his familiar face. Rose said that he looked like me, and I agreed with her. I swallowed, fighting back the urge to take his life. But I didn't have much self-control at this point. I could feel his pulse and heartbeat, and I felt my eyes darken.

_It would be so easy, _the voice of my demon whispered. _He's so fragile. He can't fight. And it would be painless._

I shuddered, snapping my eyes shut, focusing on blocking everything out. I listened for Rose's heartbeat and found it. I calmed slightly, but when I opened my eyes, Jeremy's pulse became as tempting as it had been moments ago.

I had been promised a meal, and I would have it. I looked at my son and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of his blood. My eyes fluttered back momentarily before snapping to his face. I ran a finger over his cheek lightly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, unable to resist the pull. I lowered my face to his shoulder, my fangs ready to take his life when I heard Rose's voice. "He's such a good father."

I pulled back instantly, and I found myself shaking. I set Jeremy in the crib next to his siblings and backed away quickly.

I gasped in a few breaths and sat on the bed. What was I doing here? I wasn't a good father - I was horrible. I'd just tried to kill my own son. I squeezed my eyes shut and stood, my decision made long before I'd ever consciously decided.

I had to leave, for my children's sake.

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**... Please don't hate me? *Nervous laugh***

**Soooooooo... Review, and I'll update. Easy-peasy.**

**- J.C.**


	17. Discussions

**Okay, so here is my update for the 20th. Please review? It's the longest chapter yet, so please?**

**Disclaimer: Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina belong to me. Rose and Dimitri? Sadly, they do not.**

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Dimitri came from the bedroom, looking upset, but also distant and cold.

"Rose, can I speak with you?" he asked quietly, not looking at me. I got a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, and my heart sped up.

"Yeah, Dimitri," I whispered. He offered me his hand, and I took it, afraid that this was the last time I would see him.

He led us back to the bedroom and shut the door quietly. He still hadn't looked at me.

"Are you okay?" I whispered worriedly. Then it hit me – he still hadn't fed. Shit, I'd been in the middle of doing that when Lissa had shown up.

He glanced at me. "I guess." Not much of a response. "I was thinking. . . ." He paused and looked at me meaningfully.

Gasping, I stared at him and then at the kids. He couldn't seriously be thinking – no. I couldn't even think it. I couldn't even _consider _that thought.

"No, Dimitri. You know I can't. Not with them. Think of Adrienne." He flinched slightly. "Think of _me_."

"You don't have to be the one to do it," he reminded me. "We _are_ in a building full of people willing to do it."

He was being unrealistic. He couldn't leave these kids. He couldn't leave _me._ "Then I'd come after you, and I'd tell them to kill me, too. Lissa would be able to take care of the kids."

He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes intently. "No, Rose. You can't. Think of them." His eyes flickered to where Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina were sleeping. I followed his gaze and almost burst into tears at the thought of our children never knowing their father.

"Then _you_ think of them," I argued.

Worry seeped through the bond from Lissa. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that we were fighting.

"I am," he growled. "Rose, I almost –" He stopped. His face grew cold and distant. "I almost killed Sabrina and Adrienne today," he snapped.

"No, you didn't," was my knee-jerk response.

"Yes, I did," he insisted. "When Christian . . . when he said that, I forgot all about them. If you hadn't been there . . . I don't know what would have happened." He shook his head sadly, putting his fingers to his temples, like he had a headache, though it was impossible.

"Dimitri, you would have remembered. You reacted perfectly normal under the circumstances. Don't do this to me. Don't do this to _them_," I pleaded.

He sighed softly. "I have to – for their safety. I can't be trusted, Rose. It was easier before, but now? I haven't known these wonderful, beautiful, amazing people long enough to know that I can't harm them." He held my face in his hands and brushed my cheek with his thumb. "But you – you I know I couldn't ever hurt."

"You can't hurt them. You couldn't ever hurt them, Dimitri." Tears started to form in my eyes. "And you know it. You're just running away." My words cut through the air like knives.

He let go of my face instantly, looking shocked and hurt, going to stand next to the bed.

I continued my accusations. "What am I supposed to tell them, Dimitri? What should I tell them when they ask where's Dad?" I sighed, hating the idea. I could just see our beautiful triplets, crying when I told them that their daddy had left.

"Tell them . . . tell them." He sighed. "Tell them that he was an evil person who deserved to die."

I scowled. "I will _not_ tell them that. Because they're not going to ask where Dad is, because you're going to be with us. Dimitri, they need you. _I_ need you. Come on. We have to get through this."

He growled softly, finally meeting my eyes angrily "What about when they ask why I have red eyes? When they wonder where Mom and Dad disappear to every few days? What should we tell them then, Rose? I can't do that to them."

Lissa was now, to put it lightly, depressed. She didn't want Jeremy to be fatherless. Or any of the kids, for that matter.

I grinned a little, knowing that I had an answer for this question. "We'll tell them everything. We'll tell them about your strength, and all the good you have inside of you. We'll tell them that this wasn't your choice, and that you're learning to be good rather than evil. And they'll be so proud of you." I was choked up by the end of my speech.

"You can't know that," he whispered.

"But I do. Why am I the only one who sees how good you are?"

He glanced at me sadly. "Because you live under the impression of my old self. Everybody else sees me as what I am now."

"Which is you, just with different eyes," I finished.

He sighed. "We've been through this discussion a hundred times forward, and a thousand times back. We're not going through it again," he said roughly, raking his hands through his hair angrily.

"Dimitri, don't . . . don't do this," I pleaded.

He glanced back at me, and it was then that I saw that I was too late. He'd already done it. He'd already made the decision, and he wasn't going back on it.

"I have to, Roza," he replied.

"I-I can't lose you, Dimitri. I can't. I need you."

The door flew open, and Lissa stood there, crying. She came to stand next to me. I smiled sadly at my best friend.

"Dimitri, I know I-I haven't known you very l-long like this, and I know I didn't know you very well when y-you worked here, but you cann_ot_ leave Rose and your k-kids like this," she sobbed.

She fell against me, her small body shaking with the force of her sobs. "It's okay, Lissa."

"N-No, it's not!" she yelled, looking up at me with sad eyes.

I gazed sadly – but not accusingly – at Dimitri. Half of my mouth pulled up into a _what-are-you-going-to-do? _smile. She was my best friend, and it was clear that she felt strongly for our relationship.

It was obvious that she was on my side. She didn't want Dimitri to leave, either. I knew that that fact might affect Dimitri's decision. Well, I hoped at least.

He grimaced, surprised by Lissa's protectiveness of our kids. It looked like he hadn't expected to have Lissa in on the decision.

I glanced at the crib, where the kids – oblivious to what was going on – were sleeping. Dimitri happened to glance at them as well. Our gazes met, and I burst into tears.

Lissa and I cried with each other for a moment. I felt Dimitri's eyes on me, and I knew that we had to get this over with. "Liss," I whispered. "Go. I'll be okay. We'll figure this out somehow."

She looked at me and nodded. She left, glancing at Dimitri for a moment before more tears fell down her cheeks.

I kept crying. Dimitri's face was pained, but he kept himself still. I couldn't look at him for fear that I would start sobbing again.

Finally, he came and wrapped his arms around me hesitantly.

"Please, please, _please_, don't leave us," I mumbled into his shirt.

His resolve had been weakened over the last five minutes – the fact was obvious, even to me.

His voice was soft and hesitant. "I can't leave – that's evident. But I can't stay. You have to understand, Rose. I'm a danger to them," he insisted.

"I don't think you are."

He didn't fight back anymore. He just stared at me for an immeasurable moment. Lightning fast, he sank his fangs into my neck. I gasped softly. Normally, I expected it. But this time – there had been no warning, no usual ceremony. Just him, and some lesson he probably had in mind.

Yanking his head away, he licked his lips, and closed his eyes. "What if I did that to one of them?" he whispered.

I knew it. There was some lesson behind his actions.

"You wouldn't," I murmured.

"You don't know," he repeated.

Instead of fighting with him, about how I _did_ know, I went the safe way. "No, I don't," I agreed. He looked shocked that I had given him that answer. "But I think that you love them so much that you couldn't even think of doing that. Besides, I'll be the only one you'll be feeding from, so you'll always be well-fed." I smiled a little.

He frowned at my word choice, but he couldn't argue with my logic. "All right, Rose. I won't leave. But if I make one mistake, I'm gone."

I nodded and hugged him. "He's staying, Liss!" I yelled. She flew into the room and tackled Dimitri – literally tackled him to the ground. I snickered.

"Thank you, thank you, _thank you_," she said. "I just . . . I couldn't bear to think of Jeremy without his father."

"Get off of him, Liss," I said, laughing. She started laughing, too. "Well, I guess I'll get a few hours of sleep, and then we'll get going."

"Aw." Lissa frowned. "Do you really have to go?"

"Afraid so, Liss. But we'll be back before you know it."

She grimaced. "Well, okay. Now go to sleep. I know you need it." She smiled and hugged me, then hugged Dimitri.

Dimitri and I went to Lissa's bedroom, and I lay down on the bed and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Don't ever scare me like that again," I whispered.

He smiled a little. "I promise, Roza. I'm sorry. I just – I thought –"

"Shh… It's okay." I held his face in my hands, smiling at him. I kissed his cheek. "I love you. I know why you did it."

He swallowed and hugged me tighter. "I love you, too, Roza."

"I'm going to bed," I whispered, yawning.

He nodded and kissed my head. "I'll watch our children."

"Mmm," I sighed, closing my eyes. It wasn't long before I was asleep.

Dimitri woke me up when it was time to go, and we both flew into action. We knew we had to get out of here before most people were up and moving.

"Well," I said. "We'd better get going."

Dimitri nodded. "I've got Jeremy and Adrienne."

Which left me with Sabrina.

Lissa cuddled with Jeremy for the last few minutes. "Bye, Jeremy, Adrienne, Sabrina, Rose, and Dimitri." When she got to Dimitri's name, she lowered her voice.

"Bye, Lissa," I whispered. "Tell Christian bye, too."

She nodded. "Of course."

We made our way across the campus. Kids were just starting to wake up, so most of them were still in their beds. Except for, of course, Jesse. And I saw with distaste that he also had Ralf, the world's best sidekick.

We were only feet from the gate. I cursed our bad luck to hell and back. Well, hopefully, we could still –

"Rose?" Jesse's voice caught my ear.

I cursed. "Go, Dimitri. I can take them out, with one hand occupied." I grinned. "Leave. I'll be there in a second."

He nodded and crept out through the gate.

I turned slowly, forcing myself to smile.

"Oh, hey." I waved. _Don't come near me, don't come near me_. I was hoping my mental warnings would keep them away so I wouldn't beat the shit out of them.

"What are you holding?" Ralf asked.

"Dude, I think it's a kid," Jesse whispered.

"No way," Ralf breathed. I gritted my teeth. _Breathe a word, you little shits, and you won't _ever_ have kids, _I mentally cautioned.

I stood there, raising an eyebrow, tapping my foot. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Is it _your_ kid?" Jesse asked.

"Yes."

They burst into laughter. "That's too funny," Jesse gasped. I looked at Sabrina and smiled. She smiled bad, and the urge to beat them into the ground disappeared. . . Well, for the most part.

I turned around and started to leave. Someone caught my arm. I had to fight the instinct to flip them over my head. I turned around slowly.

It was Adrian.

"Hello, little dhampir." He looked down. "And _littler_ dhampir." His eyes widened, and he glared at me accusingly. I wanted to dissolve into a pile of nothing. I would rather have run into Kirova than Adrian.

Ralf and Jesse were still laughing. Adrian gave them a truly vicious glare. They stopped laughing and slunk away. Thank God. If that was all he was good for, I would take it.

"So . . . no chance?" he questioned, anger and disappointment etched into his voice. At least he didn't look like he was drunk - well, not yet, anyway. The day had just started.

I shook my head. "Sorry, Adrian." I smiled. "I have to go. See you later."

He watched me carefully as I left campus.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked as I came closer to him.

"Yeah," I said, looking back at Adrian, who was gazing longingly out the gate. I cringed, refusing to let myself feel guilty over this. Dimitri was who I wanted. And anyway, I always knew that I was never coming back to Adrian. It would never work between us.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I looked back at Dimitri, and I smiled, kissing him quickly.

"Yeah. Let's go." We disappeared from the Academy for the last time.

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Just so you guys know, if any of you were looking for an update from me on another story, I updated all of my stories today. Please review, I beg of you. I need reviews on this day.

**- J.C.**

**February 28, 1961 - July 20, 2009 - Six long months without you has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do by far. I learned so much from you when you were here, and I'm learning even more now that you aren't here. I'll always miss you, and even though you did things I didn't agree with, I still love you.**

**I always will. I love you, Mommy. **


	18. Growing Up

**Sorry the update took so long. FanFiction was being a bitch yesterday and wouldn't let me convert documents. My computer almost got broken in my fury. ^_^ But it didn't, so here's the update!**

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed on the 20th. You guys made me feel so important. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina are MINE. Rose and Dimitri? ... *Sulks* No.**

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_Previously ..._

We disappeared from the Academy for the last time._**

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**Two Years Later...**

It had taken a little while, but after a few months, surprisingly, the amount of money Adrian was giving us increased. That definitely shocked me. I had figured that the money flow would decrease then stop altogether after he learned that I was never coming back. Dimitri and I used the money to buy a house. Dimitri knew where the money was coming from, but he never knew why. I wasn't sure if he would ever really want me to tell him so I kept quiet about the matter.

We watched our children grow in a beautiful, two-story, five-bedroom house. The kids still slept in the same room, for nightmare purposes, but I knew there would come a day when they would each want their own room.

Each child had grown more into their own personality. Adrienne's hair was long, curly, and thick, with a dark, rich brown color like mine. Her eyes were intense and curious. She was a younger version of me. Her eyes were the same color, her facial features were the same. Her personality even coincided with mine. She refused to give her daddy up to her siblings for even one minute. She was a true Daddy's girl, and Dimitri knew it.

Jeremy had more of Dimitri's face and attitude to things. He was extremely laid back and calm, for a three-year-old. Well, they were almost three. Jeremy's eyes were lighter, matching Dimitri's old eyes exactly. We allowed his hair to hang in his face like his father's had and still did. To our excitement, he preferred it that way. Jeremy knew he was Lissa's favorite, and all three kids had taken to calling her Aunt Lissa. Lissa ate it up.

Sabrina had inherited both my and Dimitri's features. Her eyes were mine, but the color of her hair matched Dimitri's. Like her sister, it was long and curly. Sabrina was my baby, and she accepted that fact readily. She always wanted me to hold her, and I loved every second of it.

Dimitri and I had gotten married, much to the joy of Lissa and Christian. It had just been them at the small ceremony. Of course, we'd had to find Dimitri colored contacts so that the red could be hidden. Lissa and Christian had bought a house that was next to ours. We were the only two houses next to each other. We had done it that way on purpose. It took a little while to get to our house, but we were about ten minutes away from the city. We had to be hidden a little bit to make sure that a random person couldn't stumble upon our home by accident.

And even better was the fact that Lissa and Christian had a son - Andre Jeremy Ozera. Lissa and Christian had been married two months before he was born. Lissa had wanted to name him Andre after her brother, and Jeremy because of my son. That had been one of the greatest honors to me. Andre was only a year younger than the triplets, which meant that the kids would be close.

Andre was a little rebel. He tore things down, ran everywhere he could, and caused mischief. But he was also very sweet. He was a happy child and could spread joy to anyone whenever he wanted to. But he was adorable. He had a little bit of Lissa in him, but he mostly had Christian's features.

The phone rang, startling me out of my thoughts. I ran for it, but Dimitri had already beaten me. I scowled, hating losing to him even though he was like three times faster than me. He smiled at me and kissed me gently before handing me the phone.

"Hello?" I asked, slightly distracted. Dimitri was hugging me, smiling.

"Hey! You remember what tonight is, right?" Lissa sounded even more out of it than I did. That gave me a little peace of mind.

"Of course! How could I forget? You pulled together the hugest party for a trio of three-year-olds." Lissa had spent months planning this party, and I knew she was excited about it.

"Damn right I did," she said, a smile in her voice. "Are the kids excited?"

I nodded, and Dimitri laughed. "Yes, Lissa, they're very excited."

"Good. They should be. I'll see you five later tonight, okay?" I heard a crash, followed by a soft curse. "Andre just broke something. I have to go."

I laughed. "Bye, Liss." I ended the call and looked at Dimitri. "Are you happy? I couldn't concentrate while talking to Lissa."

He frowned. "I'm sorry, Roza." But I knew he was teasing. He wasn't sorry for one bit of it.

Chuckling, I kissed his cheek. "Let's go round up the kids."

"As you wish, Rose." He let me go and went in search of Adrienne while I went after Sabrina and Jeremy. I knew where they would be located. They were sitting in front of the TV, like always. Adrienne was the rambuctious one. She went exploring in our house. One time, Dimitri found her in a closet, close to tears because she couldn't find her way back out. That was why it was better to send Dimitri after Adrienne since he could track her down easier.

"Hey, Sabrina. Hey, Jeremy. Are you excited to go see Aunt Lissa?" Jeremy's face lit up at the prospect of seeing his Aunt Lissa. He always jumped at any chance to go to her house.

"Uh-huh." He nodded for emphasis. Sabrina was quiet as usual and merely held her hands up. I picked her up and kissed her forehead. She smiled at me, and Jeremy half-scowled, annoyed. I picked him up too, and he grinned at me.

"I love you, Momma," they both whispered. I smiled, kissing both of their foreheads.

"Let's go find Daddy and your sister," I murmured, strangely enthusiastic about my kid's third birthday, though I knew it was one more year that had passed, and one more year that they had grown. And it only meant fifteen years left.

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Awww... Okay, getting all mushy. Anyways. I have a question for you guys.

**What relative do you have that's your favorite? Is it a parent, a sibling, a grandparent maybe? My favorite relative would have to be my older brother. He's a lot of fun to be around.**

**All right - review, you guys. I want to know your favorite relative. :D **

**- J.C.**


	19. Sharing

**Update time! Okay, so hopefully, I can get to 150 this time around? It would mean the world to me guys. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: The triplets are mine, but Rose ad Dimitri are not, sadly.**

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I took Sabrina and Jeremy to the kitchen, where I found Dimitri cuddling Adrienne, smiling. "Having a good time?" I chuckled.

Adrienne stuck her tongue out playfully at Dimitri, and then she threw her tiny arms around his next and squeezed tightly. Dimitri hugged her back.

"Where did you find her this time?" I asked, setting Sabrina and Jeremy on the counter in front of me. That proved to be a useless idea, because they both raised their arms up. Sabrina's eyes grew wide, and Jeremy frowned. I picked Jeremy up, knowing that Dimitri would understand to take Sabrina.

There had always been an unspoken language between me and Dimitri. We understood each other without having to say a word. Little things that most people wouldn't take notice of, we did. Whenever Dimitri glanced quickly at me before sitting down on the couch, I knew he wanted me to sit with him. While he washed dishes and had a slight grin on his face, I knew he wanted to splash me with water. And he knew the same things about me.

"Snooping around one of the guest bedrooms," he chuckled.

Just as I knew he would, Dimitri shifted Adrienne to one side and picked Sabrina up with his free arm. Adrienne immediately began to pout. "Daddy," she complained. Sabrina's lower lip quivered, and I was ready to take Sabrina, knowing that when Adrienne was unwilling to share her daddy, she was highly dangerous.

Dimitri kissed her forehead. "You have to share, sweetheart." Adrienne pouted, and Dimitri did something that scared the hell out of me. He put her down.

Her eyes grew about three times their normal size, and tears filled her eyes. "_Daddy," _she whimpered, raising her arms, opening and closing her hands. Dimitri grimaced, hating that he had to deny his daughter anything. But he took a deep breath, though he didn't need it.

"You need to learn how to share, Adrienne," he murmured.

"I can share, I can share," she insisted, tears flowing over her cheeks. She was so agitated that she was bouncing on the balls of her feet, nearly hopping. Her hands opened and closed around the air persistently.

My eyes flickered to Jeremy who was watching his older sister throw a tantrum. He rolled his eyes a little and nuzzled his cheek into my shoulder. I glanced at Sabrina who looked sad that she had upset her sister. Adrienne was still whimpering.

Dimitri finally sighed and swiftly picked her up, peppering her face with kisses. "You know I hate doing that," he sighed. He turned and kissed Sabrina's cheeks. "I love you three more than life. But Adrienne, sweetie, you have to share," he murmured. "I know you want my attention all the time, but you have to share with your siblings, all right, Adrienne?"

She pouted for a minute, then nodded slowly. "Okay, Daddy. I love you."

He smiled a little. "You know I love you, Adrienne." Jeremy pushed at my shoulder, and I set him down. Sabrina reached for me, and I pulled her into my arms, hugging her.

"Your sister loves you," I whispered to her. She sniffed once but nodded and hid her face in my neck.

"I know," she mumbled.

I sighed and kissed her hair, looking sadly at Dimitri. Dimitri took the hint and whispered something into Adrienne's ear. Adrienne nodded enthusiastically and reached her arms for me. I took her, and Adrienne hugged Sabrina tightly.

"I love you, Sabina," she said, missing the 'r' in Sabrina's name.

Sabrina lifted her head and smiled. "I love you, too, Adrienne," she replied happily, hugging her sister back tightly. Jeremy rolled his eyes, fed up with the girl drama in the house. I chuckled as I ruffled his hair.

He swatted my hand away, but he was smiling, letting me know that it didn't really annoy him too much. I smiled back at him. "C'mon, guys, who wants lunch?"

All three hands shot into the air, and I chuckled. Dimitri smiled over at me, his eyes shining. I knew he loved our family like crazy, and I was ecstatic that he still felt this way after three years. His love for us hadn't changed one bit.

We took our kids to the table, and I served them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Jeremy dug into his like he was a cannibal. Sabrina picked at hers lazily, popping small pieces into her mouth every now and again. Adrienne ate hers quickly and sat, waiting for her siblings to finish. I fixed myself a sandwich as well and ate while Dimitri snaked his arms around my waist.

"I love you," he murmured into my ear.

"I love you, too."

Adrienne's eyes snapped to our figures, narrowing suspiciously. "Daddy, aren't you going to eat?"

Dimitri tensed and slowly shook his head. "No, sweetie, I'm not hungry. It's okay."

Her eyes kept shifting to him, and she never completely relaxed during the entire meal. Dimitri was behind me pleading, "Too soon. It's too soon. Not yet. I need more time with them."

He was utterly convinced that the moment we told the kids, they would hate him and never want to see him again. So he was spending every moment he could with them. There were many times that I woke up in the middle of the night and found him whispering to the kids, already apologizing for what he was. For a good part of the night, he would watch them, just walking around their room, trying to watch each one at the same time. Of course, around three or four, he would come to our room and wrap his arms around me.

"It's all right, Dimitri. Nothing will happen. They're too young, I promise."

He nodded against my shoulder, unconvinced. I took his hand and squeezed tightly.

I met Adrienne's piercing, inquistive gaze once more before looking away. Because I knew in my heart that she was already beginning to unravel the secrets of her father's existence.

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Question time! I think with each update, I'll ask you a question... Anyway...

**Anybody have any siblings? I already told you that I have an older brother, but I also have a younger sister. ^_^**

**Okay... So I would like to get to 150 ... and I'll even make you a deal... Get me to 160 before Thursday, and I'll update then. Let's see if you guys can pull it off. ILY. **

**Please review? I would love you for ever and ever and ever. *Nervous laugh***

**- J.C.**


	20. Disappearing Act

***Horrible girly screaming* 170! Well, almost, but it's rounded to 170! 30 reviews, guys? I LOVE YOU. Each and every one. But thanks especially to hazel . eyed . shorty . named . fia (No spaces between the periods and words... And READ HER STORY OR DIE), Airvamp12, Christian Ozera's Girl (she reviewed EVERY CHAPTER. ILY), Raelynne, Cathy, Paramorefreak100, and Seth'sONLYIMPRINT. Those are just a few of my regular reviewers. ILY guysssss... Thank you for making me so happy.**

**Well, now that that's out of my system... Here's the next chapter, as promised.**

**Disclaimer: AJS, ALL MINE. You guys can have Dimitri and Rose.**

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After lunch, I glanced at Dimitri. He knew what I was telling him, but he refused to follow me. Dimitri had gone a little over a week without feeding. We both knew he was getting weak, but he kept blowing it off for as long as he could. Finally, I put Adrienne and Sabrina down and grabbed his hand.

"Mommy and Daddy will be back in a minute, guys," I explained, seeing the shock on our children's faces. Adrienne's shocked face slowly calmed, and she nodded, turning to her siblings.

I pulled Dimitri into our bedroom and closed the door before turning to look at him. "You can't keep doing this, Dimitri. You have to feed," I sighed.

He rubbed his face with his hand. "I know, Roza. I know. But I get so caught up with them. I can't afford to miss a second."

Sighing, I coiled my arms around his waist. "I understand, Dimitri. But you really need to remember to feed. And you're missing seconds by arguing."

He stayed quiet after that and dipped his head to my throat. The usual sharp, piercing sensation was there, and I restrained gasping. It always felt weird to know that a Strigoi was drinking from me, and I was allowing it. I took deep breaths, slowly relaxing. Right as I was completely calm, he pulled away, sheathing his fangs. He kissed my forehead.

"I love you, Rose," he whispered into my hair.

"I love you, too, Dimitri," I replied. "Let's go find the kids."

He pulled away and nodded enthusiastically. When we went back downstairs, Adrienne and Sabrina were sitting quietly on the floor, playing with their stuffed animals. Jeremy was nowhere to be seen. I picked Adrienne up, much to her annoyance.

"Adrienne, sweetie?" I murmured, pulling her hair back. "Where's Jeremy?"

Her eyes widened, and she looked around like she had just realized that her brother was missing. Dimitri's head snapped toward us, and his expression was worried. Adrienne's delicate eyebrows dipped. "I-I thought he was with Sabina an' me," she whispered, stammering. Tears sprung to her eyes. "I sorry, Momma."

"No, no, Adrienne. Shh, it's okay. I'm not mad at you," I whispered. I handed her off to Dimitri. "I'll go find him," I murmured. I didn't trust Dimitri to go after him because if Jeremy was about to get hit by a car, Dimitri wouldn't care about the fact that he couldn't go into the sunlight. He would try to save his son regardless. I noticed the front door slightly ajar. That was strange. . . We always kept it tightly shut.

"Dimitri, I'm going outside," I called softly, going to investigate. I slipped outside quickly and winced at the sun. Then I saw him. My son was heading straight for Lissa's house. I chuckled and jogged after him. He was still walking, having no clue that he was being followed.

"Jeremy," I sighed, swinging him into my arms. He grinned at me.

"Hi, Momma."

"Where were you going, silly?" I chuckled, nuzzling my nose against his cheek. I loved the way children's skin felt. It was so smooth. Jeremy smiled condescendingly.

"Aunt Lissa's."

I hugged him tightly. "Not yet, sweetheart. We'll go later, all right?" He scowled adorably and jutted his lower lip out.

"Fine," he pouted.

I turned back toward the house when I heard a mocking voice call, "_Another_ little one? It seems you have your hands full." I stiffened and looked back, seeing Adrian walk toward us, his eyes flashing in anger. I kept Jeremy close to me as I glared at Adrian. There was only one reason he could be here - Lissa.

"And who is this?" he asked innocently.

I shielded Jeremy from him, rubbing his back gently, but still giving Adrian Ivashkov the fierce glare I was known for. "Don't make me punch you. It's been a while, but I can still throw one," I snapped.

He chuckled, not taking my warning to heart in the slightest. "It seems that I'll have to keep my distance then, hmm, little dhampir?" I locked my jaw, not wanting to use profanity with my three-year-old son in my arms.

I glanced back at the house worriedly. If Dimitri thought I was in trouble, then he would come to save me, whether or not the sun was out.

"Waiting for someone?" Adrian murmured, following my gaze.

"None of your business," I growled, looking back at the annoying Moroi in front of me.

Jeremy stiffened in my arms, and I froze. Oh no. "Momma, look," Jeremy breathed in wonder.

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*Cringes* I know it's short, but the next one has a lot of drama. I promise.

**Here's the question - What's the most adorable thing you've ever seen? ... My would have to be my best friend's pomeranian, Max. They shaved all of his fur except for around his neck, so he looked like a little lion. ^_^ It was so cute!**

**And MAYBE, you guys could get me to 200? That would totally make my day. Would you guys do that for me? PLEASE. If you do, I promise to make the next chapter the longest one yet.**

**Oh, and if you're upset that you didn't get a shout-out in the author's note at the top, maybe you could review all the chapters that you haven't yet... (Hint, hint. ;D)**

**- J.C.**


	21. Jealousy

**Okay, so no 200 this time... :c ... BUT, I can live with that. Just barely, but I can do it. ^^ So maybe THIS chapter will get me to 200? Because that would be freaking amazing.**

***Disclaimer: Vampire Academy is the sole property of Richelle Mead... I'm just adding kids to the mix.**

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Previously...

_"Momma, look," Jeremy breathed in wonder._

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I glanced at my son. His wide eyes - the same beautiful, expressive brown eyes that Dimitri had once had - were locked onto something behind me. I glanced back quickly, expecting to see my husband fall to his knees in agony. Instead, I saw my two daughters, giggling and smiling, coming toward us. _What were they doing out here? _I thought about it for a moment then beamed. Dimitri was so smart. He knew Adrian would never try to do anything with three witnesses around.

When Adrienne and Sabrina reached us, I set Jeremy down, ruffling his hair. "Hey, guys." My eyes flickered to Adrian momentarily.

His jaw had dropped, and his eyes were wide. He recovered quickly, his previously shocked expression turning cold. "Anything else you'd like to show me?" he snapped.

With a smirk, I showed him my left hand. Dimitri's ring glittered in the sunlight. Adrian looked furious, and I couldn't help but feel smug. He began to curse, but I threw him a murderous glare. His eyes narrowed, but he shut his mouth, thankfully. I didn't need my kids exposed to profanity at age three. I was suspicious as Adrian grinned widely and crouched down to Adrienne's level, smiling fakely at her.

"Daddy must be very rich," he said in a seemingly innocent voice. Only I could hear the venom below the surface. His eyes flickered up to me as he spoke, narrowing angrily.

Adrienne shrugged her small shoulders, her lips falling into a small, nonchalant frown. "I don't know."

"Oh, but surely you must have some idea," he persisted. He reached forward for Adrienne, and I snapped. I put my hands around her shoulders, pulling her back toward me.

"They don't know," I said in a hard voice, discreetly pushing the kids behind me. I wanted them to have a route of escape if things came down to a fight. I was eight-five percent sure Adrian wouldn't have the guts to start something, but I wasn't one hundred percent, and that was enough for me. Above all, the kids had to stay safe.

"Well, that's not nice," he snapped, standing abruptly, causing Sabrina to jerk back, frightened by his sudden movement. Sabrina was easily the shiest, most soft-spoken of the three. She was the one who tugged as softly as physically possible on your shirt until you realized she was there. Adrienne would get in your face and shout at you to pay attention to her. "They should know where their father gets his money."

Three pairs of curious eyes came to rest on me. Adrian smirked, knowing he'd gotten what he wanted. The kids would have thought nothing of it had he not pointed it out. I still didn't think that Adrian knew that Dimitri was their father. That was one good thing out of all of this. He had the authority to go to Kirova about this. While I was worrying about Dimitri, it dawned on me that my children were still waiting for an answer.

I crouched to their level, hating to talk to them like they weren't equals. I kept my eyes on Adrian's figure in my peripheral vision. I didn't need him cheating and punching me while I was playing into a trap. "Daddy gets his money from a very generous friend." I hated to call Adrian generous, and I hated calling him a friend even more . . . but, really, it was true. He was being generous. Dimitri and I didn't have to work because Adrian still gave us money.

Adrienne's eyes widened, and she nodded. I could see in her face that she really didn't care. Jeremy was pretty much the same. His eyes were locked on Lissa's house, and I knew he was anxious to go to his Aunt Lissa. Sabrina seemed to be the only one who was making the connection. Her little face was scrunched up as she tried to put two and two together.

"Of course he does," Adrian snapped. I stood up slowly, warning him with my gaze that if he wanted to bad-mouth my husband in front of my kids, I would kill him several times. His face turned sullen, and he scowled at me.

"Mommy," Sabrina whispered, her small arms lightly tugging on my shirt. I picked her up, letting her hide her face in my neck. "Daddy was scared. He told me to tell you," she whimpered. I tightened my grip. I knew she was scared. In Adrienne and Sabrina's eyes, their father was invincible. Nothing scared him - ever. Jeremy was even more skeptical when it came to Dimitri being afraid of something.

"Okay, honey," I replied softly, kissing her cheek, my eyes involuntarily flickering to Adrian every once in a while, making sure that he wasn't going anywhere. "Go back inside with Jeremy and Adrienne." I leaned down and picked Adrienne up with my free arm. Jeremy's hands curled into the fabric of my jeans, and he hugged himself to my leg. "Sabrina, tell Daddy that I'll be inside in a minute, okay?" She nodded slowly, unsure. Adrienne gave her a small smile, and Sabrina nodded once more, this time confidently. I set my youngest daughter next to her brother.

I looked Adrienne straight in the eye, putting my hand on the back of her head, kissing her temple. "Adrienne, sweetie? I need you to tell Daddy that he can't come outside, no matter what happens, okay?" Dimitri had to be okay. I couldn't bear the thought of him dying because I'd been a few seconds late running back to the house. I knew I would be okay, but Dimitri was always worrying about me. I'd been gone for a long time, by our standards.

Adrienne nodded, a smile taking over her face. "Okay, Mommy!" She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed tightly. She squirmed against me, wanting down. I set her down, and Adrienne smiled encouragingly at her siblings before saying, "Come on. Let's go back to Daddy." There was a short pause, then Adrienne began running back to the house. Her siblings followed her lead, like always.

It was quiet for a moment, then Adrian had to ruin the moment. "Who's _Daddy_?" he sneered.

I squared my shoulders, ready to fight if it came to that. "None of your business. Speaking of that, you didn't have to bring that up. That had absolutely nothing to do with them. You gave me that money."

"_I _thought you were coming back," he snarled, his hands clenching into fists. I felt momentarily guilty. I had tricked him into thinking that I would be coming back to him to try to be with him. I had lied, and I knew that. I accepted it as well. I had found Dimitri, and we were living the perfect life, like I knew we should.

"Things change," I finally said, my voice quiet. The impatience I'd been so famous for back at the Academy began to seep through my carefully neutral mask. "Now, why don't you go back to Lissa's house before things turn nasty?" I snapped.

He looked at me for a long while. "Sorry to have caused you any trouble, little dhampir." He smirked.

"_Don't _call me that." Adrian smirked once more before turning and heading back to Lissa's house. I watched him disappear into my best friend's house. I was motionless for a few moments before I realized that Dimitri was probably worried out of his mind. I began to sprint back to the house, smiling as I ran. I loved feeling wind rush past my face. It exhilarated me.

I opened the front door and slammed it shut as quickly as I could, hoping Dimitri hadn't been anywhere near the front door. I heard crying and pleading. What I saw shocked me beyond belief. Our children were hanging on to their father, trying to tug him away from the door.

"No, Momma said that you couldn't," Adrienne whimpered.

"Adrienne, I -" Though he'd spoken two words, I heard the pain and desperation in his voice.

"Dimitri." His crimson eyes flashed to mine in shock.

"Roza?" he whispered, letting his body relax. The kids slowly released their grip on him. I nodded slowly. He exhaled softly, and I gave him a swift smile. Dimitri moved toward me, quicker than he normally moved, but slow enough for the kids to see him. He looked me over carefully. "You're all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied quietly. He leaned in to kiss me, but I stopped him for a moment. "Kids, go to your room for a minute. Daddy and I need to talk." Our children glanced at one another, shrugged simultaneously, and ran up the stairs.

When I looked back at Dimitri, he was furious. _Uh-oh..._

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I have a question for you guys... Would you like this chapter in Dimitri's POV just this once, or do you want me to continue with Rose's POV, and you'll never know how Dimitri felt... It's your call... Please, get me to 200? I BEG OF YOU.

**- J.C.**


	22. Worrying

**By popular demand, here is Chapter 21 in Dimitri's POV! There is one thing I want to address. I'm pretty sure the triplets are a bit smarter than the average three-year-old (they know more words, they're more perceptive of situations, etc.) I hope that doesn't upset you guys... I just chalk it up to Rose and Dimitri's intelligence being passed down to them.**

**Disclaimer: Vampire Academy belongs to Richelle Mead... Even Dimiri... Damn.**

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Rose glanced at me as the kids finished eating. I knew she wanted me to feed, and I knew it was a necessity; but I loathed the idea of taking life from her so I could live. Besides, I was too preoccupied watching my two daughters laugh and giggle in Rose's arms. Rose eventually sighed and put Adrienne and Sabrina down.

She came toward me, giving me an encouraging half-smile. My eyes flicked to Adrienne and Sabrina, who were watching with wide eyes. Rose glanced back and smiled brightly.

"Mommy and Daddy will be back in a minute, guys," she said cheerfully, squeezing my hand. How I loved when she called us 'Mommy and Daddy'. I was their _father_. They were a part of me. Even three years later, it still stunned me into a reverent silence.

Adrienne and Sabrina's faces calmed down, and they gave us quick smiles before turning to talk amongst themselves. Rose led me to our bedroom, her hand tugging mine. I followed her easily and sighed too quietly for her to hear. We came to our room, and Rose closed the door slowly. She huffed and gave me a pointed look.

"You can't keep doing this, Dimitri," she scolded halfheartedly. "You have to feed." Her eyes were weary, and her lips were turned downward. My hand came up to rub my face anxiously.

"I know, Roza. I know. But I get so caught up with them," I insisted. "I can't afford to miss a second." I knew that when the time came for us to tell them what I was, they would scatter, realizing that their father was a monster.

Roza was understanding, but the kids wouldn't be. They would live in fear of me their entire lives. Perhaps if I was lucky, they would tolerate my presence. But I knew in the back of my mind that they would never fully accept me for what I had become. That was why I had to spend every moment with them. I needed to know them before they rejected me.

Rose sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. I knew that she thought they would accept me, wholly and fully. She wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling herself against my body. "I understand, Dimitri," she said in a quiet, soothing voice. "But you really need to remember to feed." She paused for a moment, and a wicked grin spread across her beautiful face. "And you're missing seconds by arguing."

My eyes widened slightly, realizing she was right. _Damn, she's good_, I thought to myself. My lips curled into a small smirk. I inhaled deeply, steeling myself. My fangs slowly unsheathed themselves, and I bent my mouth to her throat.

My fangs pierced her throat, and I felt her restrain a gasp. I drank from her for a few moments, relishing the coppery taste of her exquisite blood. I didn't care what anyone said – Rose's blood was the best, by far. Even more so than a Moroi's. I pulled away, licking my lips quickly.

I kissed my wife's forehead, grateful that she allowed me to drink from her. "I love you, Rose," I murmured in her ear.

She sighed in contentment. "I love you, too, Dimitri. Let's go find the kids." I smiled. I so loved going to play with my children. I held her close and nodded, grinning.

We went back downstairs and found that our daughters were on the kitchen floor. Adrienne had a stuffed animal in her arms, and Sabrina was picking one out for herself. It did not escape our notice that Jeremy was missing.

Rose bent down and picked Adrienne up. My oldest daughter scowled and shoved against Rose, upset that she'd been taken her away from her game. Rose bounced her on her hip for a short moment.

"Adrienne, sweetie?" Rose said quietly. Her delicate fingers pulled a piece of Adrienne's thick hair behind her ear. "Where's Jeremy?"

Adrienne looked around like she expected to see her younger brother. Her eyes widened when she realized that Jeremy wasn't where she thought he was. I watched Rose and Adrienne carefully, listening for my son. My eyes widened as I realized that Adrienne didn't know where Jeremy was, either.

Adrienne whimpered softly, her eyebrows dipping, and her eyes filling with tears. "I-I thought he was with Sabina an' me," she stammered, tears threatening to fall over. "I sorry, Momma."

Rose kissed her forehead. "No, no, Adrienne," she soothed. "Shh, it's okay. I'm not mad at you," she insisted tenderly. Rose held Adrienne out to me, and I took her, wrapping her tightly in my arms. Sabrina was watching the scene in front of her, frightened. Rose looked at me, her dark brown eyes sparking. "I'll go find him," she told me.

I nodded reluctantly. She hated me going to look for the kids when they were missing. I knew she didn't trust me to keep myself safe if my children were in danger, and frankly, I didn't trust myself. I accepted that I would kill myself to keep my children safe.

"Dimitri, I'm going outside," she called quietly. The door closed, and I exhaled. Adrienne squirmed against me, and I let her down. Sabrina tugged at my shirt, and I picked her up.

"What's going on, Daddy?" she whispered into my shoulder. "Where's Momma?"

"Shh, Sabrina. It's okay. Mommy went to go find Jeremy. Everything's okay." She sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes.

Adrienne sighed from below us. "_Sabina, _Jermy will be fine. I wanna play," she complained. Sabrina smiled into my skin and nodded, signaling that letting her down was okay. I put her down, and she started to play with Adrienne.

Sadly, this gave me time to worry about where Rose and Jeremy were. Minutes passed. I didn't listen for her purely out of privacy for Rose. This was a stressful situation, but I knew Rose didn't like that I could hear everything she said or did. I paced furiously, clenching and unclenching my fists. She had been gone for a long time.

After five minutes, I decided to listen for her. She could be upset with me later. Right then, I needed to know where my wife and son were. "Don't make me punch you," Rose threatened. I froze. "It's been a while, but I can still throw one."

A multitude of sounds came from my mouth in that instant. A shriek of frustration, a howl of despair, and a whimper of pure helplessness were only a few . . . Or at least I thought I'd made them. I'd frozen, my face in a mask of shock. My daughters instantly noticed.

Sabrina grabbed my hand, her eyes widening with each passing second. "Daddy, are you okay?" she whispered.

I instinctively pulled my hand away from hers. She frowned, but tears didn't fill her eyes. "No, Sabrina, I'm not," I answered. I tried to keep my voice from shaking but failed. I needed to go to my wife and son, but I knew it wasn't possible.

My daughters exchanged worried glances. "What can we do to help?" Adrienne asked quietly.

If I couldn't go, sending them was the next best thing. "Go outside. Go to your mommy, and tell her to come inside." They hesitated, looking at each other nervously. "_Go_," I urged.

They ran. The front door opened and slammed shut. I waited in agony and listened fervently. I sank to my knees, shutting off other senses in order to enhance my hearing. I closed my eyes tightly. A new voice came into play.

"Daddy must be very rich," it snapped. I clenched my fists, and a low growl slid through my locked jaw. Adrian Ivashkov. I moaned and wondered how long I had before I would burn to ashes in the sun's light. I mentally sighed. Not long – that was for sure. The only thing I could do was hope that the kids would pull through for me.

My head snapped up when I heard light footsteps moving toward the house. The front door creaked open. "Daddy?" came Sabrina's hesitant voice.

"Come on," I said. My legs were tensed in anticipation. The second that door was closed, I would run to them. I just had to wait for the door to shut. The door slammed, and I made a mad dash for them. Somehow, I managed to pick all three of them up simultaneously.

I sighed in relief that Jeremy was back in my arms. "Dad, get _off_," Jeremy moaned. I chuckled, squeezing him a little tighter before setting them back on solid ground.

Then I noticed something. "Where's Mommy?" I whispered, my eyes widening as I looked at all of them.

"She said she's come inside in a minute," Sabrina said quietly. I sighed in relief. I could handle a minute.

"Okay. Thank you, Sabrina." There was an uncomfortable pause, and Sabrina glanced at Adrienne. She put her fingers in her mouth, no doubt ready to bite them. I pulled her hand away from her mouth absentmindedly, my eyes locked on Adrienne's guilt-ridden form.

Her eyes were locked on the ground, and Sabrina finally whispered, "Tell him the rest." My face drained of color if it had any.

"What more is there?" I breathed. What else could possibly happen?

Adrienne swallowed and glanced up at me from underneath her eyelashes. "Mommy said don't go outside," she said softly. I relaxed. It didn't surprise me. But Adrienne wasn't done. "No matter what happens."

I froze again. Something was going to happen, and Rose didn't want me there for it. I knew I couldn't help, but I had to help her. I had to do something – be a distraction, scare him away, _something_. The kids' eyes were trained on me carefully, watching my every movement.

I scooted closer and closer to the front door. I was about to open it when they realized my intention.

"_No!_" Adrienne shouted. They rushed toward me, grabbing my arms and holding me down to the best of their ability. Sabrina grabbed my left arm, and Jeremy had the other. Adrienne stood in front of me, her hands on her hips. She looked exactly like her mother.

"No, Daddy. You can't," she insisted, hugging my leg.

"Why not?" I snapped. I would have to punish myself later for being harsh with my daughter. . . If there was a later for me.

But Adrienne's face showed no sign of hurt as she looked up at me, begging me to stay. There was blatant sadness written all over her face, though. Her tone, however, was determined.

"Because Mommy said so."

I could've shaken them off like ants, but I didn't want to hurt them. I was already minding how hard I pulled on my arms. Surprisingly, for three-year-olds, they were pretty strong.

"Mommy doesn't think things through," I muttered. How could she just think that I would stand by while knowing she was in trouble? She needed my help, and if I needed to sacrifice myself for her safety, then so be it. I would do anything to save her life.

Footsteps pounded through the grass, and I spun, whirling away from the light instinctively. The kids hung on to me without a second thought. The door opened and shut quickly.

"I need to go, Adrienne," I mumbled, tugging on my arms a little harder.

"No, Momma said that you couldn't," Adrienne insisted.

I _had_ to go to her. "Adrienne, I –"

"Dimitri." Rose's voice shocked me out of my stupor. My eyes snapped to where I heard her voice. She stood, her hands on her hips, mimicking Adrienne's posture a few moments ago. From what I could tell so far, she was fine.

"Roza?" I murmured. I had to validate that she was really here with me and not just a figment of my imagination. I felt Jeremy and Sabrina's hands slowly release me. She nodded, and oxygen left my lungs in a slow exhale. She was really here.

She smiled quickly at me, and I walked toward her, though I wanted to run as fast as I could to her. "You're all right?" I murmured, looking her over a second time.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied. I started to kiss her, but she put her hand on my chest, pushing me back. A low growl began in my throat. "Kids, go to your room for a minute. Daddy and I need to talk," she explained. The triplets glanced at each other before deciding that it was okay. They ran up the stairs, laughing and scrambling to beat each other up the stairs.

Oh, yes, we needed to talk. My eyes unconsciously narrowed at her. She watched our children go upstairs, then turned back to me.

Her eyes were wide as she took in my expression. I could almost see the wheels in her head turning frantically. She was about to find out what happened when she worried me to death.

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This was a pretty long chapter. AND it was Dimitri's POV. If you guys liked it, maybe I could get some reviews?

**- J.C.**


	23. A Little Dictator

**I am so, so incredibly sorry for the wait. Life finally caught up to me... I'd been avoiding it for so long, but the teachers finally began piling on the homework, and everything fell apart. : / But I'm working on getting back on track. I promise, you guys.**

**A few things before the chapter...  
1: Where did all my original reviewers go? :c I love that new people are reading the story, but I miss my original readers, too! I love you guys... It's made me sad to see you disappear like that.  
2: The next chapter after this will probably not be posted until the 14th of March. Sorry, but I need my routine back... Plus, spring break is the week after that, so hopefully I'll be updating faster.  
3: This chapter will be in Rose's point of view. Dimitri's is emotionally draining, and if I tried to write it right now, it would be days until you got it. Hope you guys don't mind!**

**Okay. Now that those few things are over with, we can get to the chapter! =D**

**Disclaimer: Rose and Dimitri - mine? *Sigh* Nooo...**

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Dimitri was watching me with a fierce expression, and I couldn't help but feel responsible for making him worry. I mean, I knew it wasn't _my_ fault that I'd disappeared on him for almost ten minutes, but I felt like I should have completely ignored Adrian. Dimitri wouldn't be upset with me, and this entire mess wouldn't have happened. I dropped my head, ashamed.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you. But you know how fighting appeals to me." As soon as I said it, I felt the unusual urge to blush. _That didn't sound good_, I thought worriedly.

I expected Dimitri to at least crack a smile or chuckle a bit. I was waiting for him to hug me and whisper something about how he was worried about me. He didn't do any of that. He stood there, watching me carefully. His eyes were fiery red, and they were narrowed at me. My chest constricted at the realization that he wasn't going to let this go. He was mad at me.

That hurt and shocked me greatly. I couldn't remember the last time he'd been angry with me. It happened so rarely that I never gave much thought to him being angry with me. Of course, I still wasn't completely sure he was mad at _me_. This silence could be stemmed from jealousy or even anger at _Adrian_, for putting me in that situation. I cringed as a new thought flashed through my mind. He could be angry with himself for not being able to help me when I needed help.

"Are you mad at me?" I whispered, suddenly unsure.

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "No, Roza, I'm not. You know I could never be upset with you." I chanced a glance at him and found that his eyes were still glued to me. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. He wasn't mad at me. I could deal with his fury at Adrian, but if he was blaming himself, then we had a problem.

"Are you mad at yourself?"

He was silent, and I knew I'd hit my mark. "Dimitri, why are you blaming yourself for this? You didn't do anything. I had to go find Jeremy, and Adrian happened to be there. Everyone got out okay, and he didn't touch one of us. We're all okay. I handled it," I insisted. Sometimes I hated how incapable he thought I was. He had convinced himself that I was so fragile. Of course, it only came with his new strength that he thought me to be so unable to fend for myself.

"I should've been there," he muttered, angrily raking his hands through his hair. "I hate not being able to help with the family during the day. I should be doing _something_."

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. "How can you say that? You do help out - every day. Even at night, when I can't. You watch over our kids. You make sure they don't have bad dreams."

He grimaced, looking away. "I want to be able to go outside and play with them during the day. I hate taking anything away from them, but I also can't stand not being there for even one second."

"I know, Dimitri." I squeezed his arms tenderly and kissed his cheek. "I know you do. But it'll all work out. It has to work out."

My husband nodded, smiling down at me a little. "I love you, Roza."

My lips curled into a wide grin. "And I love you. Now, come on. Let's go find Adrienne before she completely turns her siblings into slaves." We both looked at each other, unsure if I was joking or not. Hell, even _I_ wasn't sure if I was joking or not. Adrienne was the sweetest little girl when it came to her daddy, but she was also a younger version of me. She was demanding and fierce, and by God, if you didn't listen to her when she wanted you to listen, you'd better be able to afford to give her an arm or a leg for the trouble you put her through.

Finally, Dimitri chuckled. "You don't think she would . . . do you?" Our eyes met again, and we both darted for the stairs, laughing. When I opened the door to our children's room, I burst into laughter. Adrienne was standing on top of her bed, hands on her tiny hips, ordering her siblings to clean up their room for us.

Dimitri's eyes shone as he watched her. "She's so like you," he sighed, taking my hand in his.

I scowled, unsure if it was a compliment or not. He grinned when he saw my face. "Don't be that way. You know it's cute."

I gave in. "Yes, it's adorable when she does that. But it won't be good when she gets older."

"She'll grow out of it. For now, let her have her fun." Adrienne turned and saw us. Her little face brightened considerably, and she jumped off her bed and ran to Dimitri.

"Daddy!" she squealed happily, jumping up and down, just begging to be held. He picked her up easily and nuzzled his nose against hers. She laughed delightedly, smiling. "Daddy, Momma, look! We cleaned our room for you!" She was so ecstatic. I chuckled as I noticed Sabrina and Jeremy looking at her, exasperated. It did not escape my notice that she said 'we' when, clearly, the correct statement was, "Sabrina and Jeremy cleaned our room for you, and I ordered them to do it."

I couldn't bring myself to ruin her fun, though. So Dimitri and I smiled and thanked her while I kissed Jeremy's forehead and picked Sabrina up, whispering words of gratitude in her ear. Dimitri lifted Jeremy into his arms, and Adrienne's eyes flashed dangerously. Both of us caught the look, and my eyes widened as I watched to see what Dimitri would do.

He didn't do anything, I quickly found out. There was a storm cloud over Adrienne's head, and she was close to exploding if nothing happened in the next few seconds. I loved my daughter, don't get me wrong, but I had a headache. I didn't want to hear her cry and scream. So I took Jeremy from Dimitri and kissed Jeremy on the cheek.

Dimitri scowled at my actions, upset at having his son taken away, but I knew that Adrienne would have thrown a fit. And as of now she was curling herself around her father, sighing contentedly. She was most definitely a daddy's girl.

"Time for naps," I announced. Every one of my kids looked at me like I was crazy. I smiled and prepared myself for the argument that was sure to come my way.

But Jeremy just sighed and said, "And then we'll go to Aunt Lissa's?"

"Of course, honey," I whispered.

He squirmed, and I put him down. He hopped into his bed quickly and shut his eyes. I leaned down and kissed his temple. "Have a good nap, Jeremy," I murmured. Dimitri touched his forehead softly and smiled.

Sabrina was already almost asleep in my arms. I set her into her bed and brushed her hair out of her face. "I love you, Sabrina. Sleep well." Dimitri leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, sweetheart," he breathed. And now for the hellion. Adrienne was defiantly glaring back at us, almost daring us to try to make her take a nap.

Dimitri whispered something in her ear, and she sighed, squirming. "Night, Daddy. Night, Momma. But we can go to Aunt Lissa's later for the party, right?"

"Of course," we answered in unison. Lissa would murder me if I didn't take them to the party she'd been planning for forever. She crawled into her bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. She exhaled softly, almost a soft sigh.

She was asleep before we shut the door. That was the thing about Adrienne. She was utterly convinced that she was big enough to be finished with naps, but the second her head hit a pillow, she was out like a light. It was adorable, really.

Dimitri and I glanced at each other, then exhaled. The mission had been accomplished. I looked at a clock and wanted to take a nap myself. There were four more hours until Lissa's party, and we only made the kids nap for two hours.

What was going to take up time for two entire hours?

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Please review? I've felt sick all day, and yet I still pulled this out of me. ^^ Oh, and one last thing - Adrienne's not a bitch. She's just a very strong-willed, fierce little girl - much like her mother.

**Review? I will love you guys for forever and ever. And I'll try to find pictures of what the kids look like so you can see them.**

**- J.C.**


	24. Old Friends

**Apologies for the lateness! It's been one hell of a week, and I didn't expect to have so much homework on the weekend. But next week is Spring Break so updates will be on time, I promise. ^^ **

**Disclaimer: Dimitri? Rose? Mine? YES! ... Nah, I wish, though.**

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As our children napped, Dimitri and I watched TV and talked a little more about Adrian. We knew he was going to be a fairly constant presence since he was connected with Lissa, but we both agreed that he was hell when he got pissed.

As it turned out, Dimitri had self-confidence issues. Since he was now Strigoi, he kept trying to convince himself that with one wrong word, I would finally be fed up with him and leave. I easily assured him that wasn't the case at all. I loved him with all my heart, and if I didn't, then I wouldn't have tried to make us work in the first place.

That seemed to appease him, and I finally got the courage to ask the question that had been on my mind for almost four years now.

"Dimitri?" I murmured. His cool hand was stroking my hair, and his other arm was wrapped around my waist.

"Yes?" he breathed.

"When you were . . . in the cave -" He stiffened, but I continued like I didn't notice. "Were there any Strigoi that you became friends with?"

He relaxed a little, and I felt his content sigh. "Mmm, as a matter of fact, yes," he answered, kissing my jaw.

"Who?"

"His name was Caleb. He had a story quite similar to ours, actually." His voice was low and smooth, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss him senseless or fall asleep. I wasn't sure which one I wanted more.

"How so?"

Dimitri sat up a little more, apparently realizing that I wasn't going to forget our conversation, no matter how hard he tried. "He was born in the forties. He was twenty and engaged when he was changed. He had to leave her."

"She didn't go after him?" I asked, surprised. That seemed weird. They had to have been in love with each other if they were going to get married.

"He was human, Roza," Dimitri murmured. "His family assumed he had run away. But he wishes that he could have had what we have. He was the one who really convinced me to come back and give this a chance." He grinned at me.

I smiled back, kissing him quickly. "Remind me to thank him for that," I breathed.

Dimitri blinked suddenly, and his eyes grew sad. "I wonder where he is," he mused. "I'd like to talk to him some more. He was a very complicated being."

"Sounds like you," I teased.

Dimitri only gave me half a smile, and I realized that he was serious. Dimitri sighed softly. "He was even more self-loathing than I am."

"Wow," I remarked. "That's saying something." Dimitri nodded, understanding that I was being nice about it and in no way criticizing him. At least he realized that he had issues with himself and what he was, even though I didn't. "Well, we'll try to find him," I soothed, rubbing his arm.

Dimitri nodded, swallowing. "I hope so. I think he has the strength to stop killing." His eyes were fierce as he looked back up at me. "I just know it, Rose. If he really wanted to do it, he could stop. He hates himself enough that it would appeal to him. He didn't like taking the lives of humans. As long as nothing has changed, then it shouldn't be a problem," he murmured to himself.

"Dimitri, slow down. We'll find him and see what he says, all right?" He was acting almost obsessed with it, and that worried me.

His eyes flickered to mine, and he calmed. "You're right. I just - I want to help him. He was so angry with himself for what he had become, what he was doing - like I was and still am sometimes. But you always pull me through it. He doesn't have anyone. I feel sorry for him."

"It's okay to feel that way," I murmured, kissing his cheek.

He smiled at me tenderly and brought his lips to mine gently. "I love you," he breathed.

"I love you, too." We kissed slowly for a few moments before I heard little feet hopping down the stairs.

I pulled away from Dimitri and looked at my eldest daughter who was grinning widely at us. Dimitri's eyes widened. "Uh, good morning, Adrienne. Are you done with your nap?" Dimitri asked.

"Mhm." She nodded for emphasis and skipped over to the couch. She planted herself between us and took both of our hands. "Why do I have to take a nap? I wanna go to Aunt Lissa's," she whined.

"We know, sweetheart," Dimitri whispered, flipping into father mode.

He was such a good father. Adrienne frowned at us and began to pout. "When can we go to Aunt Lissa's?" she asked impatiently.

"When it gets dark, Adrienne," I reminded her. She scowled.

"Fine, Momma. Can me and Jermy and Sabina play a game when they wake up?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Yes, Adrienne. But only when they wake up," Dimitri murmured.

"Okay!" She grinned and hopped off Dimitri's lap. She disappeared, and it was only seconds before I heard screaming.

That little minx had woken up her siblings. Dimitri and I looked at each other. "We'll have to remember that next time," I said before running to our children's bedroom.

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Sooo... Adrienne is a little evil. But she's adorable, so you can't hate her. ^^ I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I still technically gave it to you on the 14th as promised... Well, in my time, it's still the 14th.

**A new character was introduced, and he will play a huge part in later chapters! Want to know anything about him, just review and ask. I'll reply. I promise.**

**Despite the short chapter, maybe we could get to 250 reviews? Please? Oh, and old readers, please review! I want to know you're still there. New readers, keep reviewing! I love seeing new faces! **

**- J.C.**


	25. Attention!

**Hey! Soo, first of all, this isn't a chapter... (Sigh)... BUT, there's a good reason for why I'm posting this! You are getting the next chapter early! It will hopefully be posted on Friday morning... At the latest, 11:59 p.m. on Friday!**

**Does anyone know why that is? Anyone? Anyone at all? (Hint, hint... the date!)**

**Yes, yes, March 19th is Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina's birthday, so you can thank them for your early chapter. :D They demanded a chapter be issued on their birthday... And with how adorable they are, I couldn't resist. xD**

**Oh, and uh, the triplets are demanding happy birthday wishes in the form of reviews. Adrienne wants a bunch... Because she's just greedy like that. xD**

**The chapter will be out soon! Happy early birthday, Belikov triplets!**

**- J.C.**


	26. Wasting Time

**Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear triplets! Happy birthday to you! So, yes, as it is quite obvious, I am in a good mood because today is Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina's birthday! :D And that is why you are getting an early chapter. Because they love you, and they love your reviews! That, and they are generally gracious on their birthday... **

**Disclaimer: The triplets and their amazing party belongs to me... Dimitri and Rose can just watch. :D**

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It was a wasted effort to try to get Jeremy and Sabrina back to sleep after Adrienne had run in and jumped on their bed, demanding they wake up so that they could go and play. They were crying and refusing to play with her. It upset me that Jeremy and Sabrina had been soundly sleeping, and Adrienne had woken them up. But then again, this was Adrienne. She was the wild child, the rogue. I had figured that punishing her was a wasted effort, but Dimitri had different ideas.

As I calmed Jeremy and Sabrina down, Dimitri was having a serious conversation with his daughter. A very scary conversation, if her expression was anything to go by. Her lower lip was quivering, and her eyes were filled with tears. She pulled a shaking hand through her hair slowly. I saw her mouth, "I'm sorry, Daddy." Dimitri picked her up, and she buried her face in his chest. I saw her small body heave and shudder as she cried.

Dimitri looked at me and gave me a weak smile. I smiled back. Hopefully this would never happen again. Sabrina tugged on my shirt. "Yes, Sabrina?" I murmured, crouching down.

"Wha's wrong with Adrienne?" she asked worriedly, her brown eyes wide and curious.

"She's okay, Sabrina," I soothed, picking Sabrina up. Jeremy stood by, watching his sisters interact with us. While Adrienne and Sabrina were the same in the way that they had to know what was going on, Jeremy was the complete opposite. Adrienne pushed against you until you paid attention to her and gave her the answer she was looking for. Sabrina was more inconspicuous with her questions, seeing as she liked to hide behind others.

Jeremy was the odd one out. Instead of asking for answers, Jeremy was very clinical when things began to happen. He assessed a situation and came to his own conclusions about things. He rarely asked questions, and when he did, they were well thought-out.

Finally, Adrienne stopped crying and removed her face from Dimitri's chest. She sniffed and whispered, "I'm sorry, Sabina. I'm sorry, Jermy. I wanted to play a game." She frowned. Sabrina smiled gently at her.

"It's okay, Adrienne," she said quietly. She squirmed against my arms, and I put her down. She hugged Dimitri's leg, and Dimitri put Adrienne down next to her sister. They hugged, glanced at each other, and grinned. Jeremy's eyes widened as his sisters ran toward him. They basically tackled him, and he began to laugh, loosening up. Jeremy could be like his dad when he wanted to be - stoic, quiet, observant. But once his sisters started laughing, he got a little louder, a little more outgoing.

Of course, Jeremy's little comrade, Andre, always turned him into a jokester. Lissa and I joked that we were going to have to keep our boys under lock and key one day. But for now, Jeremy was being calm, and I was cherishing every moment of that. The three hopped around for a moment, and Adrienne glanced up at me hopefully.

"Please, Momma?" she whispered, batting her huge eyes at me. Oh God. She was already beginning to work her magic. This would be a deadly weapon in her future, and it was being used to its fullest capabilities even now. She knew the power she had over anyone who had a heart. She just looked so innocent, so helpless, so vulnerable. But I knew her. She thought everything through, planned it so it came out just the way she wanted it.

I sighed. "Yes, Adrienne. You can play a game." She squealed in delight and threw herself at my legs, squeezing them as tightly as she could.

"Thanks, Momma!" She pulled on her siblings, tugging them downstairs. It didn't escape my notice that Dimitri was following them very closely down the stairs, making sure that they didn't trip or fall. That would have been bad, to say the least. Of course, Adrienne had to pick the game that Dimitri hated.

"Hide and go seek!" she demanded. Dimitri groaned. He was always terrified that one of the kids would disappear and never be found even though they all knew that the main rule was stay in the house under all circumstances.

I rubbed Dimitri's arm soothingly, and he sighed. Jeremy and Adrienne took off through the house, giggling, while Sabrina counted to the best of her ability.

"One... two... thwee..." She stopped, blinking up at me. "Momma, what's after thwee?"

"Four," I supplied.

She grinned and nodded. "Four... Five... Six... Seven... Uhm. _Ten!" _she shouted happily. I was proud that she'd gotten to seven by herself. "Ready or not, here I come!" She giggled, running through the house trying to find her siblings. Of course, Dimitri and I wanted to calm them down, so we gave hints to Sabrina, and after she'd found Jeremy underneath his bed, Adrienne was still missing. It took about twenty minutes to find her underneath my bathroom sink, and Dimitri was a nervous wreck by then.

"Let's watch a movie now," I murmured. We had to get them to calm down before we went to Lissa's party where they would receive tons of sugar. They didn't need to be hyper before they inhaled pounds of sugar.

Adrienne and Sabrina instantly flew for a princess movie, and I swore Jeremy was growling under his breath. I knew he was tired of princess movies, but he was outnumbered, two to one. Dimitri sighed. "Girls, please. Do you want Jeremy to turn into a girl?" My laugh came out in a squeak, and Adrienne and Sabrina's eyes grew huge. Jeremy huffed. "Let Jeremy pick the movie for once."

Adrienne and Sabrina glanced at each other unsurely, then nodded slowly. Jeremy grinned and picked out his favorite movie - _Cars_. We didn't get to watch it much on account of the girls running the household most of the time. Jeremy was ecstatic as Dimitri put the DVD in the TV. His attention was on nothing but the movie. Adrienne and Sabrina were halfway interested, and they dozed through most of it.

Finally, it was dark, and it was time to go to the party. The girls were adorable, demanding their shoes. Jeremy lazily strolled through the house, blissed out on watching a movie of his choice. Dimitri grabbed Adrienne and Jeremy, kissing them both on the forehead, murmuring, "Time to go. Excited?" Jeremy rolled his eyes. He was going to his Aunt Lissa's house where he was treated like a king. Of course he was excited. Adrienne nodded enthusiastically, bouncing up and down.

I swung Sabrina into my arms, kissing her on the nose. "Come on, Sabrina," I breathed. "Let's go."

She nodded, burying her face into my shoulder. "Okay, Momma," she sighed. I followed Dimitri the few hundred feet to Lissa's house. Sabrina squirmed against me when she saw her siblings being lowered to the ground. I put her down, and they ran to Lissa's front porch. I knew she had already seen them, but they rang the doorbell and hid. In the spirit of things, Dimitri and I made ourselves harder to be spotted as well.

Lissa opened the door, an impish grin on her face. "Where are my munchkins?" she asked. Jeremy was the first to reveal himself, eager to get to his Aunt Lissa. Liss grinned and kissed his cheek. "Where's your mommy, Jeremy?" Jeremy, ever the traitor when it came to Liss, pointed me out right away. I moved, allowing her to see me and smiled.

"Now, Lissa, that's cheating," I complained, coming toward her.

"Uh-huh, sure," she mumbled, distracted. "Jeremy, honey, where are your sisters?" Jeremy grinned and pointed to where Adrienne and Sabrina were hiding. They scowled at their brother for being a pushover. "There's my nieces," she chuckled. She hugged them, keeping Jeremy in her arms. "Sugar, where's your daddy?" Lissa breathed.

Jeremy looked and looked for Dimitri, and I began to laugh hysterically because the frustration on Jeremy's face was evident. He was so pissed off that he couldn't find his daddy for his Aunt Lissa. "I don't know," he finally snapped, angry at himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and began to pout.

Dimitri blurred from nowhere and took Jeremy out of Lissa's arms, laughing. "Looking for me?"

"Daddy!" Jeremy shouted, exultant at finding his father, even though it was more Dimitri that had found Jeremy.

"Happy birthday, guys!" Lissa was ecstatic. She let us in, and I nearly had a heart attack.

There were presents everywhere, and I saw roughly two billion food items that had unspeakable amounts of sugar in them. Dimitri and I glanced at each other, then at Lissa. She shrugged and said quietly, "I had to make up for three years."

It was silent for a long moment before the triplets screamed in delight and rushed to devour anything and everything in their path.

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Happy birthday dear triplets, happy birthday to you! Here is the chapter, as promised, a day or two early. And you just had MAJOR triplet fluff, so the birthday kids expect major reviews for the tons of fluff.

**Don't forget to say happy birthday! The triplets promise to thank you back! Oh, and uh, they want reviews. Don't make the triplets sad on their birthday. :c**

**- J.C.**


	27. Wrestling

**Here's the next chapter! The triplets thank you for an amazing birthday. We hit 250 reviews, and that made my day! :D I love you guys, and the triplets love you, too! **

**Disclaimer: Triplets? Mine. Dimitri and Rose... Weeeell, no, they're not mine.**

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The triplets lunged for the chocolate immediately. Thankfully, Lissa grabbed Jeremy around the waist and pulled him away from the chocolate. "Not yet, silly," she teased. He sighed heavily and nearly rolled his eyes. Then he smiled good-naturedly. Dimitri and I looked at each other. A mutual agreement passed through us, and we both knew that the Adrienne and Sabrina could not be allowed near that sugar. Not now, at least.

I dove for Sabrina and caught her, lifting her into my arms. "You have to wait, Sabrina," I murmured as she whined and pushed against me, wanting the candy. I watched as Adrienne was still running for the candy, undeterred by the fact that her siblings had fallen. Dimitri caught her around the waist, pulling her into his arms.

"_Daddy!" _she screamed angrily. Dimitri clapped a hand over Adrienne's mouth.

"Adrienne, sweetheart, you have to be quiet, okay?" he soothed. She was pouting and on the verge of tears as he kissed her head.

"I want candy, though," she insisted. "It's my birthday."

"I know, angel, I know," Dimitri sighed. He hated denying his children anything, but this was really for the best. They didn't need that kind of sugar this late. Maybe a little after they had calmed down, but not while they were this worked up about it.

She began to silently cry, and Dimitri winced. "Shhh, Adrienne," he breathed, stroking her hair tenderly. "Don't cry, sweetheart, please don't cry. I'm not saying you can't have any at all. Just not right now. Don't you want to enjoy the party Aunt Lissa planned for you?"

Adrienne gasped in soft breaths, tears still flowing down her cheeks. Dimitri rested his forehead against hers and kissed her cheeks and forehead repeatedly. "Don't cry, Adrienne, please. You know I love you," he whispered desperately.

Our oldest and most dramatic daughter sniffed and nodded. "I love you, Daddy," she said quietly, hugging him tightly.

Liss cleared her throat, trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere. We'd all been drawn to Adrienne and Dimitri's conversation, and it was like time had stopped for them to fix their small issue. Sabrina was resting her head against my shoulder, watching her sister. Jeremy was having a blast, trying to worm his way out of Lissa's grasp. She would pretend to drop him, then catch him at the last second.

"Jeremy, Andre wants someone to play with," Lissa murmured, trying to bait him. Jeremy took it hook, line, and sinker. A broad grin lit up his face, and he nodded eagerly. I swore, Andre was like the brother Jeremy didn't have. I was eternally grateful to him for giving Jeremy that.

Lissa put Jeremy down, and Christian appeared with his son in his arms. Andre might have only been two, but he knew his best friend when he saw him. Andre smiled hugely. They began to wrestle a little bit. I set Sabrina down, and Dimitri did the same. I met his eyes, and they were upset.

I pulled Lissa aside and asked if she would watch the kids for a moment while I talked to Dimitri, and because she is an incredible friend, she insisted it was fine. I made my way to Dimitri and took his hand, squeezing tightly.

"Come on. We need to talk," I murmured, tugging his hand a little.

He looked at me curiously, then nodded. We went outside and stood on Lissa and Christian's front porch.

"I made her cry," he whispered, anguished. "I made her cry because I wouldn't give her what she wanted. Because -"

"Dimitri, shh," I soothed, holding his face in between my hands. I made him look at me. Ours eyes locked. "She was just being Adrienne, Dimitri. You know that. She loves you, Dimitri, and that won't _ever_ change, okay?"

His eyes fell. "She'll hate me," he whispered. "She'll loathe me for what I am. And if she doesn't, then she'll despise me for lying to her about it. I can't win, Rose."

"Dimitri, Dimitri, calm down," I soothed, coaxing him into looking at me. "Calm down, okay? I'm here. I'm here, and so are your children, okay?" I knew how this went. Strigoi could get very emotional, and it had happened before. It was the reason he was so easily worried by his children rejecting him for being what he was. I kissed his cheek. "Dimitri, we're here," I breathed. "We'll always be here. We're your family, all right? Family doesn't go away, no matter what."

He looked up at me, and his eyes were wide. "I love you, Rose," he breathed. He pressed his lips to mine gently. He pulled away after a short moment. "Just don't go anywhere. I couldn't live if you left," he whimpered.

I hugged him tightly. "I love you, Dimitri. I'm not going anywhere. You know that." He had to understand. I had to make him understand. I wasn't going anywhere. He took my hand and squeezed tightly. I squeezed back. "Let's go enjoy our children's party, hm?"

He smiled a little and nodded. We went back inside, and I grinned at the sight of Lissa slightly panicking as Sabrina and Adrienne tackled Jeremy and Andre, wrestling with the boys. The girls might like princess movies and scream when they saw bugs, but they were tomboys all the way, and everyone knew it.

"Adrienne, Sabrina, please stop beating Jeremy and Andre up," I chuckled. The two emerged from the small fight unscathed, grinning broadly.

"I'm a good fighter, Momma!" Adrienne announced proudly. Dimitri's eyes softened, and he smiled.

"Yes, you are, Adrienne. So are you, Sabrina," he said, giving each girl a hug for her effort in the fight.

"So," Lissa murmured, pausing dramatically. "Presents?"

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Yeah, I know it's short this time. But better than nothing, right? *Closes eyes and prays* Please be better than nothing, please be better than nothing.

**The triplets want reviews... Or else Adrienne will cry. :'c**

**- J.C.**


	28. Treasure Hunt

**So. I missed the update last weekend, and that was complete laziness on my part. I apologize deeply. But to make up for my laziness last weekend, I'm going to give you the longest update yet! Review? The triplets are lonely, and they missed their reviews.**

**Disclaimer: Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina? They're with me. Rose, Dimitri, and the lovely Aunt Lissa? Nope, they're not mine.**

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It was silent for a short moment before the kids erupted into squeals of glee. I sincerely believed that they were going to tackle Liss unless she gave them those presents in the next ten seconds. Lissa's eyes widened at their reaction, like she couldn't believe they were so happy to hear that their Aunt Lissa had bought them presents. Truthfully, it didn't matter where the gifts came from. They just liked getting new toys.

I felt Dimitri's cool hand squeeze mine gently, and I squeezed back, returning his sentiment. For the moment, we were content to sit back and watch my best friend play with our children. We both knew that whenever Lissa had gotten around to planning this party, it would be her night with the triplets. She had put so much effort into this party, and Dimitri and I both respected that it was her chance to interact more with the triplets.

"I want presents!" Jeremy insisted, smiling up at Liss, a broad grin on his face. His brown eyes sparkled happily, and his sisters nodded their agreement at his declaration.

"Yeah, we want presents, too, Aunt Lissa!" Adrienne added, wrapping her tiny arms around Lissa's legs, squeezing. Sabrina wasn't as vocal about her wants, but she nodded vigorously and smiled. Lissa pretended to think about it, and the triplets' eyes grew huge and morose. Jeremy frowned, and Adrienne's lower lip trembled.

"Well, I _guess_ you could have your presents now." Lissa finally gave in, their sad faces and dampened spirits getting the best of her.

The triplets exchanged grins and bounced in place excitedly. Lissa disappeared and returned, three small objects in her hand.

Dimitri snickered beside me, realizing what they were. I laughed quietly with him, knowing that the kids were going to get very frustrated very quickly with the game Lissa wanted them to play.

The triplets' mouths dropped open as they caught on that there weren't huge presents behind Lissa. "But – but the presents . . ." Jeremy trailed off sadly.

Lissa crouched down to their level and handed them each a piece of paper. They each took a look at their card and scattered in different directions.

"Um, Lissa, you do know they still can't read that well, right?" I asked, chuckling softly.

Lissa rolled her eyes. "I gave them easy words, Rose. It's a game so they review reading, _and _they get their birthday presents."

"Liss, don't you think –"

I was cut off by an excited scream from Adrienne somewhere in Lissa's house. We followed the sound of her voice into the living room where she was chatting with Lissa. She'd torn the couch apart, but in front of her were five new movies and two baby dolls that looked exactly like her. I only just noticed the wrapping paper strewn haphazardly around the floor.

"Lissa, you've created a monster," Dimitri sighed. I laughed as I glanced through the movies. They were all princess movies. I found it ironic that Dimitri and Jeremy had complained not an hour ago about all the girl movies in the house. Now we had more.

"What did you put on her card?" I asked suspiciously.

Lissa grinned and retrieved the forgotten card from the table. "Check under the couch cushions," it read, in simple print. There wasn't a picture or any other hint. There were only the words.

I tapped Adrienne on the shoulder gently. She looked up at me, her eyes bright and excited. "Yeah, Momma?" she asked.

"Can you show me what a couch cushion is?" I murmured, unable to believe it. There was no way she knew that word. It was such a large word for a three-year-old.

She grinned and nodded. I watched as she jumped over the side of the couch and held up a couch cushion, smiling happily. "It's this, right?" she asked, shaking it for emphasis.

"Yes, that's it. Did you know that?"

"Uh-huh," she answered, going back to her presents. I was in shock. Maybe Dimitri was teaching them words, and I just wasn't aware of it.

"_Yes!_" Jeremy shouted from the kitchen. Dimitri stayed in the living room with Adrienne, but Lissa and I went to see Jeremy and his findings.

The door to the dishwasher was thrown open, and Jeremy had several movies and a couple of toy cars lined up in front of him. "No way," I breathed. "Did his card say 'dishwasher' somewhere?"

"That it did," Lissa affirmed, nodding.

"Wow." This was insane. My kids were way smarter than I had ever anticipated. But I was also pissed off. Lissa obviously knew how smart they were. Dimitri had probably played reading games with them when I was doing something else. I was the only one who hadn't known the extent of my children's knowledge.

I felt left out and betrayed.

I sensed Dimitri's arm sliding around my waist, and he buried his face into my hair. "This is fun, hm?" he murmured.

"Yeah. I guess," I sighed.

Dimitri noticed my mood and stiffened. "What's wrong, Roza?" he breathed, rubbing his knuckles along my arm, trying to soothe me.

"Have you been teaching the kids new words to read?" I demanded.

Dimitri went taut behind me. _Busted_. "Roza, I just want them to have the best education they can. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" he pleaded.

"When they go to preschool, they're going to know everything, and there's no point in sending them to preschool. They'll be ahead of their entire class, and then we'll have to put them a grade or two ahead. They'll be socially put back, Dimitri."

He sighed. "But won't it be better for them to know the material, and we'll just put them in preschool?"

"Then they'll be labeled as nerds," I argued.

Dimitri chuckled behind me. "I'm sorry, Rose, but I don't think four-year-olds label each other just yet." Damn it. I hated it when he was right. "Rose, we both know this isn't about whether or not they'll be labeled. What's really wrong?"

"Why did you tell me what you were doing? Why was I not there when you were teaching them these things? You're not the only one who wants to be with them for every moment, you know."

He sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Roza. I thought you would be angry with me about. I wanted to surprise you. Lissa and I have been planning this for weeks. We thought you'd be happy with how intelligent they were." He exhaled slowly, but his body was stiff against mine.

I had just ruined his surprise by getting pissed off at him. _Nice going, Rose_. "I'm sorry, Dimitri. I didn't mean to upset you. It's a nice surprise. I just never thought about going to preschool with them knowing what they were learning."

The only options that had occurred to me were putting them forward a grade, or having them learn the material when they first went to school. The compromise hadn't occurred to me. Thankfully, Dimitri had thought ahead.

I took Dimitri's hand and squeezed gently. "It's an amazing surprise. Thank you, Dimitri. Thanks, Liss!" I called. She poked her head out from another room.

"Is it all clear?" she asked teasingly. "Has the Rose bomb been diffused for now?"

"For now," Dimitri answered, a smile in his voice.

"That's good." Lissa grinned at me and hugged me tightly. "You don't hate me, do you, Rose?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not, Liss. Thank you for watching out for my kids."

"Any time, Rose. I know you would do the same for Andre. Aunt Rose," she mocked, grinning.

"Aunt Lissa," I replied, winking. Suddenly I remembered that Adrienne and Jeremy had found their birthday presents, but Sabrina had yet to give us a sign that she was fine. "What did Sabrina's card say?"

Dimitri smiled, his red eyes sparkling with humor. "Sabrina has been our brightest student so far. Lissa decided to give her a harder word."

I looked at her suspiciously. "Lissa, where did you send my youngest daughter?" My voice was quiet and calm, but there was a sliver of threat detectable. I was trying to imagine where she could be. My mind showed me pictures of her lost in a closet, stuck under a bed. She could be anywhere with how Lissa played games.

Lissa smiled, hugging me again. "To an 'automobile'," she quoted, watching my reaction surreptitiously.

"In a _car_? You sent her to a _car_?" I hissed, abruptly terrified. My youngest daughter was outside, looking for her birthday presents, blissfully unaware that there were dangers all around her.

"Rose, breathe. Christian is with her. I told him to follow her to make sure she was safe."

I exhaled slowly. "Well, can we please go find her?" I asked anxiously.

"Of course." Lissa took my arm and pulled me along with her. Dimitri stayed to watch over the other two to make sure that they didn't disappear on us.

Lissa led me outside where Sabrina had her presents neatly unwrapped in front of her. She was smiling widely at the books in front of her. It looked like we had a reader in the family. I could only hope she wasn't going to get into Western novels like Dimitri.

Sabrina's eyes sparkled when I look at her. "Hi, Momma! Look at what Aunt Lissa got me." She held the books up excitedly.

"Are you going to read them?" I asked, sincerely interested. If she wanted to learn, we would teach her.

"Uh-huh."

Well, that settled that. She would be learning even more now that I knew she was exceptionally responsive to the idea.

I shivered slightly when a slight breeze blew across my skin. "Let's go inside, Sabrina. It's cold."

She nodded and picked up her books, clutching them tightly to her chest. "I love you, Momma," she told me seriously before wrapping her free hand around my fingers.

"I love you, too, Sabrina."

Christian and Lissa followed us contentedly, and I assumed that Andre was inside with Jeremy and Adrienne. Dimitri was sitting on the couch, watching Jeremy, Adrienne, and Andre play together in the living room.

He stood when he saw me, smiling. "I assume she found her presents?"

I nodded. "Yep."

Sabrina smiled hugely, and the triplets piled their presents together, clapping excitedly. Adrienne's head shot up, and her eyes zeroed in on Dimitri.

"Candy?" she whispered. Dimitri must have nodded because she turned to Lissa, a huge smile on her face. "Aunt Lissa, can we have candy now?"

"I don't know about candy, but how about ice cream?" Lissa bartered. The triplets hated cake for some reason. They preferred ice cream and brownies.

Sabrina's face lit up. "_Yes!_" she shouted, grinning. "I want chocolate. Can I have chocolate, Aunt Lissa?"

"Yes, Sabrina, you can have chocolate. And I know Adrienne wants chocolate, and Jeremy wants vanilla." Jeremy and Adrienne nodded enthusiastically, following Lissa to the kitchen.

"They're going to be crazy," I murmured to Dimitri.

He smiled. "It's their birthday. Let them have a little fun."

I sighed, and we went to the kitchen, hand in hand. The triplets were sitting at the table, bowls of ice cream in front of them. They were chattering amongst themselves, shoveling the ice cream down as fast as they could.

Jeremy was done first, and his grin was huge. "Thanks, Aunt Lissa," he said, holding his hands up for her to take him. She picked him up, and he hugged her tightly.

Adrienne was next, and she hopped down from her place at the table and ran to Dimitri, whispering words of thanks as she threw her arms around his legs. He picked her up and kissed her forehead. "Are you having a good birthday?" he murmured.

"Uh-huh." She nodded as she whispered the words.

Sabrina was the slowest eater. She savored her food because it wasn't often that we gave them sweets, and she knew it. She finished five minutes after her siblings and politely hopped down from the table. She walked toward me, her hands already in the air, waiting for me to hold her. I lifted her and situated her on my hip.

"I love you, Momma," she breathed, burying her face into my neck.

"I love you, too, Sabrina."

We stayed over at Lissa and Christian's for another hour or so before we went home. The kids were insistent about holding their presents, and they passed out almost immediately when they walked in the door. Sabrina was falling asleep in my arms as I set her in her bed.

Jeremy insisted that he wasn't tired, but the moment Dimitri set him into bed, he fell asleep. Adrienne was the hellion, as usual.

"I'm not tired, Momma!" she persisted. "I don't wanna go to bed!"

"Adrienne, come on. It's ten o'clock at night. You're tired."

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, scowling. "Nu-uh."

I set her into her bed, but she only stood up defiantly. "I'm not going to bed!"

"Adrienne, sh. Don't wake up Jeremy and Sabrina."

"But I don't wanna go to bed!" she insisted, pouting.

"Don't make me get Daddy in here," I threatened coolly.

Her lower lip began to tremble, and I knew what she was up to. "But – but – I want to watch one of the movies Aunt Lissa got me," she whimpered.

I picked her up and hugged her tightly. "Adrienne, sweetheart, you can watch one tomorrow. You need to sleep right now."

She put her hands on my shoulders and pushed away from me, growling in frustration that I was stronger than her. "I want Daddy!" she wailed.

I sighed quietly. "Dimitri?" I murmured. He appeared in the doorway, smiling sadly at me.

"Come here, Adrienne," he said quietly, motioning for me to give her to him. I handed her off, and he smiled, squeezing my hand quickly. "I'll have her asleep in ten minutes, Roza." He winked, then disappeared downstairs. I heard _Cars_ playing and began to snicker.

He was going to bore her into sleep. Sure enough, within ten minutes, he came back, her unconscious form in his arms. He set her into bed and stroked her forehead with his thumb for a short moment. He glanced up at me and chuckled.

"She fell asleep immediately," he admitted, smiling. I closed the door to their room and took his hand.

"I love you, Rose. Today was a fun day, wasn't it?" Dimitri murmured.

"Yes, it was. And I love you, too."

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**So. Longest update to date. It's almost 3,000 words. Updates will probably be every so often from here on out, but I'll try to stay with the weekend update schedule. It's geting near the end of the school year, and when summer comes, updates will be often. This story isn't over - not by a long shot. There are still many more chapters to go. The triplets would like reviews because they're tired and bored and lonely. They miss feeling loved. :c**

**- J.C.**


	29. Secret Revealed

**Yay, we have an age jump! The triplets are now a few months into seven. They grow up so fast... :'c All right, new chapter, on schedule this time! (:**

**Disclaimer: The triplets, no matter how old they are, will always be mine. Their parents, well, uh, no. **

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Four years had passed, and the triplets were two months into being seven years old. It killed me how time went by so fast. They were growing up, and Dimitri and I were having a harder time keeping the secret from them. They were so smart, thanks to Dimitri's planning and were the top students of their class.

Adrienne's hair had grown almost as long as mine. It was the same color, the same texture, everything. We kept Jeremy's hair shorter than Dimitri's, but longer than most other boys. It barely fell past his ears. Sabrina's hair was long, just like Adrienne's. But it was straight, rather than loosely curled, like Adrienne's was.

And then, one day, Sabrina dropped a bomb on me. "Mommy?" she asked. "Can we go to the playground?"

It was daytime. I knew this would kill Dimitri. "Now?" I asked. She nodded slowly. I bit my lip. "Dimitri!" I called.

Sabrina ducked her head. When I called Dimitri, it usually meant something bad. But this, this was completely different. He'd be devastated. He had wanted to be in every part of their lives. But going to the playground during the day was out of the question for him.

He entered the room, smiling gently. "What?"

"Sabrina wants to... um... go to the playground." He didn't see anything wrong with that. "Now," I added. We had gone there at night before but never in the day.

"Oh." He looked down, hurt. He lifted his head quickly, seeming to remember something. He disappeared and reappeared moments later.

"Here." He handed me something. It was a... video-camera? "I figured this day would come soon. So I got this. Now you can record them so I won't miss anything."

I smiled and shook my head in amazement. Once again, his innate way of always being prepared stunned me.

"Wow. Okay. So you're fine with this?" His grin faded slightly.

"I'd have preferred to be there in person, but this is the next best thing," he said, shrugging. I kissed him on the cheek. Jeremy was watching TV in the living room, and Adrienne was brushing her hair, sitting on the couch.

"You wanna go to the playground?" I asked. They both agreed with zeal.

So we left without Dimitri. For him, it was a sad occurrence. For the kids, however, it was going to be a fun day.

"Daddy's not coming with us?" Adrienne asked, disappointment clouding her face as she strapped herself in.

"No. He can't. He has some stuff to do."

Adrienne frowned, not completely buying my story.

We made it to the playground. Nobody was there, but the kids had fun. I recorded their whole adventure, trying to keep track of all of them at the same time.

We left in an hour. They were exhausted by that time.

I opened the front door, and Dimitri was sitting in the kitchen, resting his head in his hands. I heard him sigh before the kids ran for the kitchen.

Sabrina, Adrienne, and Jeremy tackled him, laughing, trying to tell him all about what they had done at the playground. He tried to smile, to be happy for them, but it seemed impossible.

"Why don't you guys go play in your room for a while? Daddy and I need to talk about something." They grumbled a bit, but left us alone.

Dimitri glanced up at me, pain in his face. "I-I –" He shook his head. "I couldn't be happy for them."

I hugged him. "It's not your fault. They still don't know. And they were so tired today. I don't think they'll really want to go back. But here –" I handed him the video-camera "– I did your bidding."

He half-smiled. "Thank you."

"It was nothing. Dimitri?" I had started to walk away, but I realized that it might be time for us to tell them about Dimitri's secret.

"Yes?"

"Do you... think it's time?" I asked hesitantly. He knew what I was talking about. We had talked about this many times.

He froze. "I'm not sure."

"I'll go see if I can get them to pay attention. You might want to come along." He sighed but agreed. I hugged Dimitri tightly before opening the door to the children's room. "Sabrina? Jeremy? Adrienne?" I called. "We want to tell you something."

They appeared, all in a line. They looked like they had expected this. I then wondered what they knew.

I sighed, glancing at Dimitri. I silently asked him if he really wanted to do this. He smiled grimly in encouragement and motioned for me to start. I knew he didn't want this to be told, preferably ever, but the kids had a right to know. I felt like they were mature enough to handle it, as well.

"You might want to sit down. I'm going to tell you a story."

They grew excited and restless, planting themselves on their beds. Dimitri faded into the background, but Adrienne forced him to come and sit next to her. I heard her whisper, "Have you heard this story, Daddy?"

He looked like he was going to cry. "No, I haven't, Adrienne." He picked her up and set her on his lap, for, in his mind, possibly the last time.

"Okay. I'm going to tell you some things, but you mustn't ever tell them to anyone else. It's a secret. You like secrets, right?" They nodded. "This is the most important secret you'll ever get to hear." They leaned forward with anticipation.

"In this world, besides humans, there are three other kinds of creatures. Not animals, but people that act like humans." I paused. "But they aren't."

Sabrina and Jeremy exchanged worried glances.

"I am one of those things." Sabrina gasped and hid her face. I rushed to her side and comforted her. "None of these things are mean. They can be, if they choose to be, but they aren't if they don't want to be. I'm not mean. I am what's called a dhampir. You know Aunt Lissa?" They nodded eagerly. "She is what we call a Moroi. She's a vampire. But she's a good vampire. A very, very good vampire. I am half-vampire, and half-human. And guardians protect the Moroi from the Strigoi. Strigoi are what the Moroi consider to be the bad vampires." Dimitri flinched slightly.

"Because the Strigoi usually hunt down the Moroi and dhampirs and kill them. But the dhampirs need Moroi to live, so we protect them, going to school to learn how to fight them."

Jeremy interrupted. "But wait. Didn't you say that the Strigoi kill the dhampirs and the Moroi?"

I nodded.

"I thought you said that all of them could be good, if they wanted to."

"They can. Most choose to be evil, because they don't have a reason to be good. I know of one Strigoi who is good. Who has always been good, and always will be good." I made direct eye contact with Dimitri as I said this.

"Is it Uncle Christian?" Adrienne asked. Dimitri frowned, looking down. Jeremy scowled. He didn't like the idea of Aunt Lissa's husband being mean.

"No, Adrienne."

"Then who is it?" Jeremy asked.

I didn't say anything, but lifted my gaze to look at Dimitri. At my husband, at their father. Slowly, they followed my gaze. When all of them were looking at Dimitri, Adrienne let out an "eep" and ran to my side. Dimitri's face was stone cold, like he'd expected it.

"Now, hold on," I said severely. Jeremy had started to scoot closer and closer to me. I started to stand, but Adrienne already saw where I was headed with this.

"No, Mommy, don't!" she said, tugging on my arm. "He's mean."

"No, he isn't." Gently, I pulled my arm out of her grasp. I sat next to Dimitri on Adrienne's bed, and hugged him. "Dimitri, it's okay. You remember what Liss was like when we told her. You remember what Christian was like when we told him. This is just like that."

"But it's not, Rose," he argued. "These are my children. I've known them for seven years. You said – you _promised_ that they wouldn't be like this."

"Dimitri," I said, my voice choked up with emotion. "They _will_ get over this. It won't take long. I promise. You can't... you can't just give up. Not like this."

He glanced at me and sighed.

"Momma," Sabrina asked softly.

"Yes?"

"Why do you love him?" she asked. To me, it was an extremely mature question for a seven-year-old.

"Because he isn't mean, like you guys think he is. I said that he was the only good one I knew, didn't I?" They nodded hesitantly.

"But he couldn't have always been like this," Jeremy pointed out rationally.

I shook my head. "Seven years ago – a few months before you all were born. I loved him before then."

"But why, Mommy?" Adrienne persisted.

I smiled. "Because I knew that he was nice. He was the one person who never let me down – when Aunt Lissa wasn't there for me, your daddy was."

They gasped in astonishment. They hadn't thought that it was possible for Aunt Lissa to let anyone down.

Adrienne took the first few cautious steps forward. "I think you're nice, too," she announced. She – without any assistance from him – put herself onto his lap. She hugged him softly for a minute. He glanced over at me.

"They have to hear it rationally," I whispered.

Hesitantly, he hugged her back. "I'm sorry, Adrienne. I'm so sorry. I wish I could've told you earlier. We didn't think you'd understand," he whispered.

"It's okay, Daddy," she said, looking up, tears in her eyes. "I understand."

"Me, too," Jeremy said, moving forward to sit next to him. Dimitri lightly kissed his forehead.

So Sabrina was left by herself, debating, wondering in her head whether or not Daddy really was mean.

"Are you coming, Sabrina?" I asked. She slowly moved forward and crawled into my lap.

"I guess if Mommy says it's okay, then it's okay," she admitted.

Suddenly, Adrienne touched the back of my neck. "Momma? What are these?"

I smiled. "Those are called _molnjia_ marks. They're tattoos. For each Strigoi you kill, you get one."

"So you got... two?" Sabrina guessed.

Dimitri laughed. They all turned toward him. "No," he said gently. "She got about thirty." Their awed glances went from me to him and back to me.

"Your daddy got some, too," I reminded them.

They looked at his neck, where there were seven little marks.

"Seven?" Adrienne guessed. He nodded solemnly.

"Technically, he killed about as many as I did. When we were at school, there was an attack. Nobody saw it coming. Your daddy stayed by himself while I ran to go tell the other guardians what was happening. We were almost done. We had gone after some hostages. We only had about fifteen feet left until we got outside." I dropped my voice to a whisper. "We thought we were free. . . . He never saw it coming."

Their gazes all turned grave. "I'm sorry, Daddy!" Adrienne wailed, throwing her arms around him.

"So why do the Strigoi kill the Moroi?" Jeremy asked.

"For blood." It was said simply by both Dimitri and me.

Jeremy thought that one through. "Wouldn't you need blood, then?" Sabrina asked.

I nodded. "He does. And he gets it without hurting anyone."

"How?" Adrienne asked.

I glanced at Dimitri nervously. He shrugged. We might as well show them.

"From me. Speaking of which," I added slyly, "it's that time of the week."

Dimitri groaned but stood up without a complaint.

"Where are you going?" Adrienne demanded.

I grinned. "It's dinner time for Daddy."

"Can we watch?" Jeremy asked.

I froze and looked at him. Didn't see that one coming. "Dimitri?" I questioned.

He just shrugged. "If they want to."

We led the way into our bedroom, making sure they were following us. I squeezed Dimitri's hand.

I turned to my kids. Adrienne and Jeremy looked excited, and Sabrina looked scared.

I held Dimitri's hand. This had to be hard for him.

"I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't be scared of a Strigoi, because most of them are scary. Except for Daddy. Most of them will kill you within seconds. Daddy doesn't do that." I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

I nodded at Dimitri. "Come on, Dimitri. Show them your fangs."

We both crouched down to their level, and his fangs appeared.

"Wow," Adrienne breathed.

Jeremy was speechless.

When it was Sabrina's turn, she just turned away from him.

I hugged her. "Sabrina, it's nothing to worry about. You guys know Aunt Lissa?" They all nodded. "She has fangs."

"Does not!" Jeremy replied indignantly.

I smiled. "Yes, she does, Jeremy. I've seen them. So does Uncle Christian, and so will Andre when he gets old enough."

Dimitri stood up, and I stood up with him.

"You all have to be very quiet," I warned. "Daddy _is_ good, but when he's feeding, he has to concentrate. You must be very still, and very, very quiet. Do you understand?" I had to make them understand. The call of blood was almost irresistible to him. He needed all the focus he could get.

Adrienne and Jeremy nodded. Sabrina trembled. I stooped to her level again.

"Sabrina, Daddy won't hurt Mommy. This has been going on for years. It's happened once a week since before you were born. Daddy _won't_ hurt Mommy, I promise."

She glanced at me, tears in her eyes. I hugged her.

When I stood back up, she started to tremble again. Adrienne and Jeremy pulled her into their arms. She had been standing off to the side, but now she was in the middle of them.

"It's okay, Sabrina," Adrienne said, holding her shoulder.

Jeremy nodded, agreeing. Sabrina took an uncertain breath and nodded.

I, in turn, nodded at Dimitri.

He couldn't bear to look at them. He kept his eyes focused on my neck, as usual.

Fangs sank into my neck, and, in the background, I heard a low gasp. Dimitri swallowed, and pulled back, smiling triumphantly.

Adrienne ran up to him. "That was so . . . _cool_," she said, her eyes sparkling.

Jeremy was next. He walked warily up toward his father, but when he saw that the fangs were gone, he eased up some.

"Adrienne's right," he whispered. "That was cool."

And Sabrina – Sabrina was nowhere to be seen.

I figured she was in her room, and I was right. She was crying.

"Sabrina, baby, what is it?" I asked tenderly, coming to sit next to her.

"He bit you. He has fangs, like a snake," she whispered.

"Oh, honey," I said, shaking my head. "Think about this for a minute – do you think that this might just be hard on him too? Do you think he wants to be like this? You think he wants to scare you and your siblings?"

She thought. "No," she answered finally.

"You're right. He doesn't. If I had let him have his way, you wouldn't know Daddy ever existed. He didn't want to be a monster, but I made him stay. For us. For you, Adrienne, and Jeremy."

"He wasn't gonna stay?"

"He didn't want to scare you, but I told him that you guys would be so proud of him. I told him that you'd know that he was doing the right thing in not being a monster."

"I do know," she eventually said. "I just didn't think anything of it. He didn't eat, the red eyes, he wouldn't go into the sun – it all seems so simple now. It was right there in front of me, and I didn't see it coming."

Again, she sounded very mature when she said all of this out loud.

"So do you think you can give him a chance? I know it's hard to believe, but trust me when I say this – Daddy would die for you, Adrienne, and Jeremy."

"I know." She thought for a moment. "Okay. I wanna go see Daddy."

I smiled at her. "Good girl. We always give other people chances."

She nodded and ran to go find Dimitri. When I found them, Dimitri had his arms wrapped around Sabrina tightly, whispering apology after apology into her hair. He glanced up and mouthed, _Thank you_, before burying his face in her hair again.

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Aaaaawwww... So the secret finally came out. Like it? Review. The triplets want love. :D

**Reviews? Please?**

**- J.C.**


	30. Difficulty

**It's that time of the week! Here's "Secret Revealed" in Dimitri's POV. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Dimitri is not mine. His children, however, are.**

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"Do you... think it's time?" Rose whispered.

I didn't move, let alone breathe. "I'm not sure," I hedged.

It was definitely time, but my mind kept rejecting the idea that my children would accept me. I just needed a few more years. I wanted a little while longer with them when I still could, but I could tell by Rose's tone of voice that no was not an acceptable answer. We were telling them today.

"I'll go see if I can get them to pay attention. You might want to come along," she suggested. I numbly agreed.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed tightly before opening the door.

"Sabrina? Jeremy? Adrienne? We want to tell you something." The kids appeared in front of us, all smiling faces and shining eyes. I knew that in only minutes their faces would transform completely.

Rose sighed. She glanced back at me, looking for assurance. I smiled brokenly and motioned for her to begin.

"You might want to sit down. I'm going to tell you a story."

I made myself stand next to the wall, but Adrienne came and pulled me onto her bed. "Have you heard this story, Daddy?"

I swallowed. "No, I haven't, Adrienne." I set her in my lap. For the last time ever.

"Okay," Rose began conspiratorially. "I'm going to tell you some things, but you mustn't ever tell them to anyone else. It's a secret. You like secrets, right?" They nodded and leaned forward. "This is the most important secret you'll ever get to hear."

"In this world, besides humans, there are three other kinds of creatures. Not animals, but people that act like humans." Rose paused dramatically, going into full story-mode. "But they aren't."

"I am one of those things," she admitted. Sabrina gasped, and I cringed away. If Sabrina had reacted like _that_ to hearing about a dhampir, how would she react to hearing that her father was an evil, bloodsucking monster? I locked my jaw, preparing myself for the inevitable.

"None of these things are mean," Rose reassured her. "They can be, if they choose to be, but they aren't if they don't want to be. I'm not mean. I am what's called a dhampir. You know Aunt Lissa?" They nodded enthusiastically.

"She is what we call a Moroi. She's a vampire. But she's a good vampire. A very, very good vampire. I am half-vampire, and half-human. And guardians protect the Moroi from the Strigoi. Strigoi are what the Moroi consider to be the bad vampires." I cringed away.

"Because the Strigoi usually hunt down the Moroi and dhampirs and kill them." She paused, a slight shrug of her shoulders picking up where she'd left off. "But the dhampirs need Moroi to live, so we protect them, going to school to learn how to fight them."

"But wait," Jeremy interrupted. "Didn't you say that the Strigoi kill the dhampirs and the Moroi?"

I smiled. Just like him to notice where Rose had made a tiny mistake.

She nodded.

"I thought you said that all of them could be good, if they wanted to."

"They can," she insisted. "Most choose to be evil, because they don't have a reason to be good." Rose's glance met my gaze. "I know of one Strigoi who is good. Who has always been good, and always will be good."

"Is it Uncle Christian?" Adrienne asked. I frowned and stared down.

_Come on, Dimitri, prepare yourself for this. You remember what Rose said. _

"No, Adrienne."

"Then who is it?" demanded Jeremy.

Rose glanced up at me, her gaze unwavering. The kids followed her motions.

_Freeze_, I commanded myself before the inevitable happened.

"Eep!" Adrienne gasped, vaulting off of my lap.

"Now, hold on," Rose said. Jeremy was moving toward Rose slowly, as if afraid that I would come after him. Rose started to stand up.

I stared at my hands which lay limply in front of me. I was a monster, and my kids were terrified of me. I had never wanted this day to come. They would be afraid of me and hate me for what I had become, although I had never wanted to become _this_.

"No, Mommy, don't!" Adrienne objected. "He's mean."

"No, he isn't," she snapped softly. She finally tugged her arm out of Adrienne's grasp. They weren't brave enough to try to come after Rose by themselves. She sat next to me. "Dimitri, it's okay," she soothed, burying her face in my shoulder.

I couldn't help feel guilty when I hoped that she wasn't the one snuggling next to me, but Adrienne or Sabrina or even Jeremy. "You remember what Liss was like when we told her. You remember what Christian was like when we told him. This is just like that."

"But it's not, Rose." My heart, though unbeating, had felt like it had just been ripped out of my chest. "These are my children," I moaned. "I've known them for seven years. You said –" I stopped. "You _promised_ that they wouldn't be like this."

"Dimitri," she choked out. "They _will_ get over this. It won't take long. I promise. You can't . . . you can't just give up. Not like this."

She was right. I couldn't. I sighed in agony... in misery.

"Momma?" came Sabrina's quiet voice.

"Yes?"

"Why do you love him?" she asked. I flinched slightly. Great. She'd just given Rose a chance to reevaluate her relationship with me.

But I shouldn't have worried. "Because he isn't mean, like you guys think he is. I said that he was the only good one I knew, didn't I?"

"But he couldn't have always been like this," Jeremy said.

She shook her head sadly. "Seven years ago – a few months before you all were born. I loved him before then."

"But why, Mommy?" Adrienne pressed.

She smiled, laying her head on my shoulder. "Because I knew that he was nice. He was the one person who never let me down – when Aunt Lissa wasn't there for me, your daddy was."

They gasped. Adrienne, miraculously, scooted off Sabrina's bed until she was on the bed next to me. She climbed in my lap like it was any other day, and said, "I think you're nice, too." She hugged me, and I glanced at Rose, unsure of what to do now.

"They have to hear it rationally," she whispered.

Softly and very slowly, I hugged her back. "I'm sorry, Adrienne. I'm so sorry. I wish I could've told you earlier. We didn't think you'd understand."

"It's okay, Daddy," she said, tears in her eyes and voice. "I understand."

"Me too," Jeremy said, plopping himself next to me. I kissed his forehead, even though I knew he hated it when I did that.

"Are you coming, Sabrina?" Rose eventually asked.

She finally confessed. "I guess if Mommy says it's okay, then it's okay."

Adrienne's fingers whipped around to touch Rose's neck. "Momma? What are these?"

She smiled. "Those are called _molnijia_ marks. They're tattoos. For each Strigoi you kill, you get one."

"So you got... two?" Sabrina guessed.

I laughed. The idea of Rose Hathaway only getting two Strigoi was hilarious and absurd. "No," I said softly. "She got about thirty."

Jeremy whispered, "Whoa."

"Your daddy got some, too," she pointed out.

They all glanced at my neck now.

"Seven?" Adrienne guessed, her small hand reaching out to touch the back of my neck. She was the closest. I nodded.

"Technically," Rose reminded me. "He killed about as many as I did. When we were at school, there was an attack. Nobody saw it coming. Your daddy stayed by himself while I ran to go tell the other guardians what was happening. We were almost done." Her voice was far off. "We had gone after some hostages. We only had about fifteen feet left until we got outside." I closed my eyes, seeing what happened fall into place. "We thought we were free. . . ." She hesitated for a long time. "He never saw it coming."

I hadn't, either.

"I'm sorry, Daddy!" Adrienne moaned, choking me with a hug.

"So why do the Strigoi kill the Moroi?" Jeremy inquired.

"For blood." Rose and I answered at the same time.

Jeremy thought. "Wouldn't you need blood, then?" Sabrina questioned.

"He does. And he gets it without hurting anyone."

"How?"

Rose's anxious gaze met mine, silently asking me what I wanted to do. I shrugged. It didn't matter. They already knew I drank blood.

"From me. Speaking of which," she inserted, and I knew I was going to regret whatever she was going to say. "It's that time of the week."

I groaned but got up without complaining.

"Where are you going?" Adrienne asked.

Rose grinned devilishly. "It's dinner time for Daddy," she teased.

"Can we watch?" Jeremy asked.

My eyes widened. The thought of my children watching me as I drank from Rose terrified me, but I knew they would be relentless until I gave in. "Dimitri?" Rose asked without looking at me.

I shrugged again. "If they want to."

The procession ended when we came into the bedroom. Rose took my hand, sensing my discomfort.

"I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't be scared of a Strigoi, because most of them are scary," she explained. "Except for Daddy," she added. "Most of them will kill you within seconds." My hand tightened around hers. "Daddy doesn't do that." She rubbed my fingers anxiously. "Come on, Dimitri," she urged. "Show them your fangs."

We crouched to their level, and I unsheathed my fangs.

"Wow," Adrienne breathed. Jeremy stood there, staring wide-eyed.

Sabrina turned her head. My heart snapped. She still resented me because I was a Strigoi. Because I was a _bad_ vampire. . . Because I hurt Rose on a regular basis.

"Sabrina, it's nothing to worry about. You guys know Aunt Lissa?" They nodded. "She has fangs."

"Does not!" Jeremy snapped.

Rose smiled at his tenacity. "Yes, she does, Jeremy. I've seen them. So does Uncle Christian, and so will Andre when he gets old enough."

I stood up, and Rose followed.

"You all have to be very quiet," Rose cautioned. "Daddy _is_ good, but when he's feeding, he has to concentrate. You must be very still, and very, very quiet. Do you understand?" Everyone except Sabrina nodded.

Rose got to her level again. "Sabrina," she soothed. "Daddy won't hurt Mommy. This has been going on for years. It's happened once a week since you were born. Daddy _won't_ hurt Mommy, I promise."

Rose hugged her once more, and then her siblings pulled her into something of a group hug.

"It's okay, Sabrina," Adrienne assured her. Jeremy nodded, and then Sabrina nodded as well.

I kept my eyes locked onto her neck, instead of my children who wanted to watch this.

Blood flowed into my mouth, and that horrible, evil side of me snarled in expectation. Metaphorically speaking, I dropped an anvil on its head. I didn't need distractions. I wrenched my head away, ultimately satisfied.

Adrienne dashed to my side, even though my fangs were still unsheathed. "That was so . . . _cool_."

"Adrienne's right," Jeremy agreed. "That was cool."

Sabrina was gone, but I'd expected that. Rose left to go talk to her, and Adrienne and Jeremy quickly disappeared to go do something else. I waited for Sabrina, worried beyond belief. What if she never forgave me?

Eventually, she came back, apologizing for her earlier behavior. I wrapped my arms around her tightly as she jumped into my arms. I buried my face into her hair. "I'm so sorry, Sabrina. I'm so, so sorry. Please, forgive me." She nodded her head into my shoulder, and I gasped in relief.

"Forgive me, Daddy, for being mean to you," she whimpered. I nodded, feeling tears that I couldn't cry.

"Of course I forgive you, sweetheart. There was nothing to forgive." I wasn't upset with her. Her reaction had been understandable. I looked up and saw Rose watching us, smiling serenely. _Thank you_, I mouthed. She nodded and smiled. I squeezed my daughter tighter as she began to cry.

"I love you, Daddy," she sobbed, holding me as tightly as she could.

"I love you, too, Sabrina. Always," I murmured, internally promising to be there for any of my kids whenever they needed me.

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So not as long as the previous chapter, but at least you got to see Dimitri's side of it.

**The triplets are politely asking for some love today. :D**

**- J.C.**


	31. Attention! Part 2

**Hey, you guys. I know I completely disappeared for a while there, and I apologize for that. I should've given you warning, but the end of the school year had just started to kick up, and there were projects and finals, and it was starting to feel like I was updating because I HAD to, and not because I WANTED to. It wasn't fair to you guys to leave you in the dark, but hopefully, I'm back now. I've had some vacation time, and I think I'm ready to start updating again. **

**But know this - even if I disappeared for five years (and that won't happen), unless I'm dead, I WILL come back to finish the story. I hate leaving things unfinished, so I'll always eventually come back. It just might take me a few months.**

**The next update will be sometime this weekend, HOPEFULLY. Thanks for sticking with me through this, and I love you all more than you know. The triplets thank you as well, because without you, they would be lost in fanfiction obscurity... and they really want to be famous. ^_^**

**So thanks again for all the support and reviews, you don't know how much they brighten my day. Next update will be longlonglong to make up for all I've missed. I love you guys, and thanks for bearing with me while I sorted out my life.**

**Thank you so very much, **

**- J.C. and the triplets.**


	32. Hide And Seek

**Uhm. So... I fail epically. Like, seriously. I am SO sorry for disappearing, but I've already apologized in the previous A/N. But I'm back now, and I have to get in the habit of updating again. Thanks for bearing with me and my craziness. The triplets are more grateful than you know. And I know I don't deserve it, but ... review? :(**

**Disclaimer: The triplets belong to me. But their parents? Sadly, it's not to be.**

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Life continued fairly normally after the triplets knew about Dimitri. They now knew where Dimitri and I disappeared to every week, and they no longer questioned his constant lack of appetite for food they ate. It was actually easier this way, and Dimitri was extremely grateful at their willingness to accept him. Jeremy had gone to Lissa's house that night and demanded to know if she had fangs or not. When she laughed and unsheathed her fangs for him to see, his face paled.

Lissa spent half an hour comforting Jeremy and explaining to him that she couldn't tell him for his safety. He forgave her, of course. I hadn't thought for a moment that he would be upset with her for a long time. The triplets were much happier knowing about our past than being left in the dark.

"Momma!" Adrienne shouted, rushing toward me, a huge grin on her face. Her eyes were sparkling, and her hair was wild. Her small body was heaving with every breath she took, and she came to an abrupt stop in front of me. Her tiny hands shot out to grasp my wrists. "Come on, come on! Daddy says we're gonna play hide and seek. He said everybody, and that means you, too!" She pulled on my wrists but quickly realized that it was doing nothing. She scowled and ran behind me, pushing on my back. "Come _on, _Momma. Daddy said you had to." It finally dawned on her a few seconds later that all the pushing in the world wouldn't move me, and her lower lip came out into an adorable pout. "Momma, Daddy _said_."

I smiled at her. "All right, Adrienne, I'll go." I followed my eldest daughter to the living room, where Dimitri was explaining hide and seek to Sabrina and Jeremy. Their eyes were wide as they listened to the instructions. They had played before, but I figured that Dimitri was refreshing their memory.

"Wait," Sabrina said, pausing. "I thought you said this game of hide and seek was special." Dimitri nodded slowly, waiting for Sabrina to finish her thought. "How is it special?" she demanded. "It sounds normal."

Dimitri grinned widely. "I won't be holding back." Adrienne looked up at him with awe. "Are you all ready?"

Jeremy and Sabrina glanced at each other and smirked. They turned back to their father and nodded. Adrienne squealed and clapped her hands. "I'm ready, I'm ready," she chanted.

My husband smiled. "I'll be seeking. You three will hide. Okay?" They nodded vigorously. Dimitri turned to look at me and winked. "You're hiding, too, Roza."

I smirked. "You think you'll find me?" I challenged. Oh, Dimitri might _think _he could find me, but I was sneakier than he gave me credit for.

Dimitri came closer, and our faces were inches apart. "I _know_ I'll find you," he breathed. His eyes flickered to my lips, then back up to my eyes. Slowly, his hand came to rest on my cheek. He leaned toward me, and my eyes were locked on his. My lips parted in anticipation, and I noticed the glint in Dimitri's eyes a second too late. "You'd better hurry," he teased, smirking. He backed away, turning around. "One... two... three... four..." I shook my head, looking for a place to hide.

Adrienne ran for the kitchen pantry and hid herself behind bottles of soda. Jeremy flew underneath Sabrina's bed, and Sabrina dove underneath our bathroom sink. I heard Dimitri counting and began to panic. We always counted to thirty, and he was at twenty-two. I knew he was going to use his keen sense of smell for sure. I had to mask my scent. In an unusually brilliant moment, I dove underneath the comforter of our bed. It helped that the bed was a mess, and there were lumps all over the place.

Now I had to work on calming down my heartbeat. I could mask my scent all I wanted, but he could find me in seconds just by listening for my heart and pulse. I heard Dimitri call thirty and exhaled deeply for the last time. I worked on making my breaths shallower and slower. Dimitri found Jeremy in seconds, laughing as Jeremy growled quietly in frustration. It was silent in the house for a short moment.

The door to our bedroom opened, and I had to fight to keep my heartbeat under control. The atmosphere was tense, and the feeling was tangible in the air. Dimitri paused by the bed but continued to our bathroom where he pulled Sabrina out from under the sink.

"You're the second," he informed her. "Would you like to help me look for Adrienne?"

I could only assume Sabrina nodded because Dimitri informed her to look in the kitchen. Sabrina skipped out the door, and Dimitri chuckled quietly.

"Found you, Roza," he murmured. "You can come out now."

I smirked beneath the covers and remained motionless. He would have to pull me out screaming before I gave in. I might not be the best at hiding, but I would fight to pretend that I was unseen. The bed dipped as Dimitri crawled onto it. His movements were smooth and sinuous, and he continued to chuckle.

"Now, Rose, this isn't how the game is played. I found you. The rules say you have to come out of hiding." He flipped the covers back, a few inches away from my face.

I grinned. "Missed me, missed me, now you have to kiss me," I chanted, rolling out from my hiding place and landing on my feet. I darted for the door, hoping to make it out in time. Unfortunately, Dimitri was much faster.

He was blocking the door with a small smile on his face. "I love you," he stated, leaning forward to press his lips to mine gently.

"I love you, too. That was fun." I winked. Dimitri smiled and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Let's go find the kids," he suggested. I nodded, and we went downstairs to find Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina talking to each other quietly. The moment we came in, they were silent. Dimitri and I glanced at each other, worried.

"What's up?" I asked cautiously.

The triplets looked at one another, and Adrienne, as usual, was the spokesman. "We want Daddy to hide, and we want to try to find him." She looked up at me with big, pleading eyes. "Can we, Momma?"

I glanced at Dimitri who shrugged. "I don't see why not. Dimitri, go hide. We'll come looking for you in thirty seconds." My husband's red eyes glittered with amusement.

"Whatever you say, Rose." He disappeared around a corner, and I turned around with the triplets and began to count to thirty.

I wondered where he would think to hide and figured he would pick a spot at random. I guessed that it would be a dark place where the children's human eyes would pass over him without trying to focus on his silouette. When the kids had counted to thirty, they gathered around me, asking where to look. "Adrienne and Jeremy, you two go look in the kitchen and living room. Sabrina, you go look in your bedroom, okay?" Sabrina nodded, a determined look in her eye, and turned to dart up the stairs where she would search the room she shared with her siblings.

I took our bedroom, having a feeling that he would be there. When I stepped into the room, it crackled with intensity, and I knew Dimitri had to be in the room somewhere. I checked under the bed and behind the dresser. "Dimitri," I murmured, "Come out, come out, wherever you are." I heard his ghostly chuckle and forced my ears to pay attention. "Where are you, Mr. Sneaky?" I teased.

My ears picked up the direction of his snicker, and my eyes narrowed at the closet. "Gotcha," I mumbled, moving toward the closet with a purpose. I flung open the door, and my eyes scanned the darkness, trying to detect movement. Nothing moved, and I waited for a moment, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dark. I took one hesitant step into the closet when the door slammed shut, and I was pressed up against the wall, hangers rocking back and forth.

"Shit, Dimitri," I hissed, my heart beating furiously in my chest. "You scared the hell out of me."

He chuckled softly. "You know I love scaring you."

"Only because you can do it now," I retorted. "If it wasn't for you being a Strigoi, you'd never scare me."

Dimitri tilted his head to the side and snickered. "This is true." He moved his head toward mine and kissed from my forehead down to my chin. "I didn't frighten you too badly, did I, Roza?" he breathed.

I shook my head. "No, you just surprised me. I'm fine."

Dimitri's fangs were bright against the black background. "Good." My heart rate picked up a little at the sight of his fangs. He had fed only days ago. Did he need to feed again? And if so, why couldn't he have told me instead of jumping me in a closet? Dimitri saw these questions flash across my face and chuckled. "Silly Rose. You know I can tell you when I'm thirsty. And I'm not. I love you." He took my hands and squeezed gently. "Oh, Roza. You're everything to me," he sighed.

"I know," I replied, smiling. He pulled me to his chest and held me tight. I wrapped my arms around his waist and exhaled slowly into the familiar comfort of his embrace.

The door opened, and Adrienne and Jeremy piled in, laughing and screaming. "We found you, we found you!" they chorused. Adrienne latched on to Dimitri, and Jeremy wrapped his arms around me.

"Where's Sabrina?" I murmured, picking Jeremy up, even though he hated that now. He pushed at me, and I sighed gently, letting him down.

"She's in her room, laying down," Adrienne answered. "I think she got tired." She grinned widely.

"Oh. Okay." Dimitri smiled at his daughter and looked around. "I guess we'd better get out of here, hm? It's getting crowded."

Jeremy and Adrienne snickered and disentangled themselves from us. They ran out of the closet, going to their bedroom where they pounced on their own beds. Sabrina was passed out, her breaths heavy and even. I picked her up and put her back on her bed, in a less painful position. I covered her with a blanket, smiling at the youngest. Jeremy and Adrienne smiled at their sister and ran out the door, giggling.

I smiled at Dimitri who smiled back. "We need to do this more often," I murmured, taking his hand.

He squeezed. "I know."

Adrienne poked her head in, eyes shining, lips pulled back into a wide smile. "Hey, Momma, Daddy, do you wanna play tag?"

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Haha, Rose and Dimitri are getting a work out with the triplets. So, first update in a while. I know it's kinda late, but hey, it's still the weekend. At least, for me it is.

**The triplets are demanding some reviews. They miss their love. **

**- J.C.**


	33. Alone Time

**Hey, guys. So... I kinda missed the deadline, haha. But I'm on vacation, so you're lucky that I even remembered you guys while I'm hanging out in Florida. Haha, kidding, kidding. I could never forget you all. ;D I love you too much. Happy Fourth of July to my American readers. To the rest of you all, I hope you had a good Sunday. xD I hit 300 reviews, which absolutely made my day. I appreciate your reviews so much, you guys have no clue.**

**So I have a little something for you, starting this week. If you review, I will send a link to a picture of one of the triplets in a review reply. The triplets love to take pictures and want you to know what they look like. If you review, you get a picture of one of them. It's a little disheartening to have 300 readers per chapter, and I get 10 reviews. But anyway~ Review and get a picture. Easy-peasy.**

**Done with the long-ass A/N.**

**Disclaimer: Rose and Dimitri aren't mine, but you get a picture of one of their kids if you review. [:**

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Dimitri and I glanced at each other for a long moment. We had just finished playing hide and seek, and now Adrienne wanted to play a new game. How typical. Adrienne's eyes were bright with excitement as she watched us silently deliberate. Her face fell as she began to realize that we were going to say no. Her eyes widened. "_Please, _Mommy?" she asked. She pushed her lower lip out into a pout. Dimitri smirked beside me as he noticed Adrienne's signature look. "Please?" she asked again.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead with the palm of my hand. "Yes, Adrienne. We can play tag." She grinned widely. "_But -_" She froze, her eyes widening as she waited for my condition. "You have to let your sister sleep, all right?"

Adrienne nodded quickly. "Yeah, Sabrina can sleep. Let's go play!"

Dimitri and I chuckled and followed our zealous daughter to the living room. Jeremy was jumping up and down on the couch, not tired in the least. Dimitri hid behind the couch and pounced when Jeremy was turned around. He caught him by the waist and growled playfully. Jeremy snickered but threw his arms around Dimitri's neck, not worried in the slightest.

My husband sighed happily and hugged his son before setting him on the ground. Of course, by then Adrienne was tugging on Dimitri's shirt, demanding to be held. Dimitri picked her up and looked at me.

"So what are we playing?" I asked, hoping to get the game started. "Freeze tag, or regular tag?"

Adrienne thought it over for a short moment. "Freeze tag."

"Who will be it?"

"Daddy." Her answer was quick.

"Adrienne, are you sure?" I asked. "If he's it, you won't have much of a chance to get away."

She scowled at me, and her eyes hardened. "I want Daddy to be it." Her voice was cool and hard, and I chuckled.

"All right, all right."

Dimitri leaned forward, smirking. "You're going down, Roza."

I chuckled, staring into my husband's humored crimson eyes. Our foreheads were barely touching, we were so close. "That's what you think, Dimitri." I might suck at hide and seek, but I was faster than he gave me credit for.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" he snickered. He squeezed my hand once, then let me go. He set Adrienne on the floor and smiled. "I'll give you _humans_ a ten-second head start. Fair enough?" He smiled good-naturedly.

"We won't need it. But if you must," I sighed dramatically, grinning. Adrienne and Jeremy were buzzing with excitement.

"One… two… three…" Adrienne and Jeremy darted for the kitchen, and I sprinted to the staircase, going up the stairs three at a time, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. I watched from the top of the stairs as Dimitri tagged Adrienne almost immediately. She pouted, but Dimitri kissed the top of her head as he passed by her to get to her brother.

Jeremy escaped being tagged immediately by rolling underneath the coffee table. The downside to that was that he was trapped. Dimitri's arms began reaching for him, and a few moments later, Dimitri wrapped his arms around Jeremy's waist and pulled him out from under the table. He set him on the couch and smiled.

"Momma's left," Jeremy reminded him.

"Oh, I know," Dimitri chuckled devilishly. He glanced up at me, and I ran to hide in what would be Adrienne's new room. The kids were getting their own rooms because of privacy issues. Plus, they were getting so big. It was hard to fit three growing kids in one room.

Dimitri took his time in coming up the stairs, grinning. I hid in Adrienne's bathroom, trying to calm my breathing and pulse rate. Dimitri poked his head in the room, chuckling. "Roza, I know you're in here. You might as well give up. There's no way you're getting past me."

I growled under my breath. _I'll show him_. Dimitri stuck his head in the closet, figuring that would be where I was, after our earlier game of hide and seek. I slipped past him and jumped down the stairs, four at a time. I was terrified of losing my footing, but I heard Dimitri behind me; there wasn't time to slow down.

I tore through the kitchen, dodging chairs and toys, all the while knowing Dimitri was less than inches away. I managed to tap Adrienne on the arm, and she ran for it, going to un-tag Jeremy.

I led Dimitri through the lower half of the house, hoping to get him distracted by the kids that were running around. It worked for a moment, but then he was after me again. I ran up the stairs, jumping several at a time.

We ended up in our bedroom, and I was stuck in a corner. "Dimitri," I threatened. "Please? Please let me go?"

He grinned. "I don't think so, Roza." He kept getting closer and closer until we were inches apart. He still hadn't touched me, though. While he was preoccupied with thinking that he was winning, I slipped underneath his arms and darted for the door.

He was standing in the doorway, and I crashed into him, lips and all. He steadied me, keeping our lips pressed together. I opened my eyes in shock, and he smirked into the kiss. "I love you," he breathed.

"I love you, too," I replied before he continued the kiss. As we kissed, my head began to fill with fog, and I couldn't think straight. Dimitri was the only thing that mattered. He was tangible, visible, _alive_, to me, at least. I could imagine the beat of his heart, the steady throb of his pulse. I had felt it all before. I ran my hands over his chest, and he sighed softly.

"Rose." My name fell from his lips in a worshipful sigh.

"Dimitri," I replied, fisting my hands in his shirt. "Do you miss it?" I asked suddenly.

"Miss what?" he mumbled, not paying attention. He craned his head to kiss me again, but I pulled back slightly. His eyes finally opened, and he searched my face, confused.

"Do you miss being alive?" I breathed, watching his face carefully. "Eating, sleeping?"

He shrugged. "There are times that I do. And times that I don't. Why?"

I shrugged back. "I don't know. Just wondered."

Dimitri smiled, his eyes becoming gentle. He brushed his lips over my forehead. "Oh, and Rose?"

"Hmmm?" I sighed.

"Gotcha."

My eyes widened, and Dimitri snickered. "Damn it," I hissed. How dare he trick me into forgetting that I'd been tagged? That wasn't fair. If I'd been tagged, I should at least get the satisfaction of being able to sulk about it. I scowled at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

He smiled, closing the distance between us once more. "Oh, come on, Rose. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy my little distraction."

"Shut up, Dimitri," I muttered, glaring at him. But he was right. I couldn't be mad at him for kissing me. I could never be upset at him for that. And he knew it.

"So you'd be against another distraction?" he breathed, centimeters from my face.

I nodded slowly, knowing that I was lying. "Yeah. You could say that," I said as nonchalantly as I could.

"Hmm. . ." Dimitri pressed his lips against my chin and smiled. "So you _don't_ want me to kiss you, is that what you're saying?"

"Uh-huh." I noticed too late that I was shaking my head back and forth instead of nodding like I thought I was. Dimitri laughed for a short moment.

"So you _don't_ want my lips pressed against yours?" he asked quietly, his eyes lighting up with something darker, more primal than he normally showed.

I shook my head slowly, swallowing heavily. I didn't trust myself to speak.

"You're sure?" he breathed.

I hesitated, and that was his answer. He closed the tiny space between us and pressed his lips to mine much more forcefully than he usually allowed himself. His hands came up to cup my face as our mouths moved in sync, knowing every line of the other's face.

"You're everything," I whispered, tracing his jaw with my fingertip.

"I know, Roza," he replied, smiling. He leaned forward to kiss me again when we heard a small voice.

"Momma? Daddy?" We both turned to see Sabrina standing there, looking confused. I smiled and picked up Sabrina.

"Hey, sweetheart. Did you have a nice nap?" Dimitri murmured. I was envious of how easily he became a dad instead of a husband. I had to work on not jumping Dimitri on the spot in front of our youngest daughter.

She nodded shyly, hiding her face in my shoulder. "Did you guys play another game?"

"Yes, we did," I answered. "Adrienne and Jeremy wanted to play freeze tag. Do you want to play?"

"Uh-huh. Can I be it?" she asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

"I'm sure we can work something out," I chuckled. "But I bet Aunt Lissa would want to play, too. What do you think?" I asked Dimitri, trying to get him to understand where I was going with this. If they were at Lissa's, then they weren't here, and we could finish what he had started.

His answering smile said it all. "I'm sure Lissa will be more than happy to play with you all. Rose? Do you mind taking the triplets to her house?"

"Not at all," I replied. As I passed him, I squeezed his hand tightly. "I'll be back," I murmured lowly. He nodded imperceptibly, and I grinned.

I took the triplets to Lissa's house and subtly tried to explain the situation. Lissa was ecstatic that she had some alone time with the triplets, and Andre was getting bored as well, so he was happy to see his partner in crime. When I returned to the house, it was quiet for the first time in ages.

I ascended the staircase and smiled when I saw Dimitri waiting for me by our bedroom. His eyes were dark and smoldering, and I exhaled slowly. _You can do this, Rose._

"Kids are gone," he breathed.

"So it seems," I replied, smiling. I took his hands and squeezed tightly. "I love you."

"You know I love you."

I nodded as he picked me up, bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kissed me once more. "I know."

Dimitri kicked the bedroom door shut, and as it slammed, I knew Lissa would be getting a lot more alone time with the triplets if I had anything to say about it.

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- Squeezes eyes shut, cracks one open - So I tried to give you some sexiness. How'd I do? No, nevermind. I don't wanna know. Don't forget. If you review, you get a link to a picture of one of the triplets.

**Please make me happy, guys. The triplets are greedy and want more reviews. **

**- J.C.**


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